Race to the Edge
by ZodiacBeast
Summary: John Shepard is a man shrouded in mystery. But with a possible appointment to the Spectres on the horizon he sees his chance to become something humanity has never had. In the dark corners of the galaxy a threat is rising the likes of which haven't been seen in 50,000 years. Can he stop the gathering darkness or will it once more succeed in swallowing the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

****Updated****

 **I do not own Mass Effect nor any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 1: Fall of Eden Prime Part 1**

 _Some call him a hero. Others call him a criminal. The Paragon of humanity or the Renegade soldier. While the debate continues to rage to this day, one thing is for sure. Since humanity's emergence on the galactic scene, there has been no member of their species as influential, nor as controversial as Commander John Shepard._

 _A past that remains, to this day, shrouded in mystery, there might not be a more well-known name in this galaxy. My goal with this publication is to correct the inaccuracies that many other works have published, as well as to shed some light on the man whose decisions still shape the galaxy today._

 _Excerpt from "Life and Legend; Commander John Shepard", by Rania T'Vera, 2197._

 _-Line Break-_

 _ **In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.**_

 _ **They called it the greatest discovery in human history. The civilizations of the galaxy call it…**_

 _MASS EFFECT_

-Line Break-

John Shepard looked through the small port window into the endless expanse of space. The ship he was currently on was orbiting a small planet, the name of which he did not care enough to learn. At the moment he was in between missions and waiting for the Alliance's next orders for him.

He knew at the moment two men were meeting to decide what his next job would be. The two men were named Captain David Anderson and humanity's ambassador on the citadel Donnel Udina. Anderson was someone he had had a long history with. He had met him not long after joining the Alliance and enrolling in the Academy. Anderson had come in to deliver a lecture to his class when Shepard had walked in late. Anderson had then spent the next five minutes chewing him out and the rest of the lecture slipping not-so-subtle references back to him.

Not that there was anything Anderson could really do or say that could change anything about him. Shepard had been the way he was for years and even though he may show up late sometimes or flunk a test his field abilities and physical exam scores were off the charts. Also there was one other reason the Academy was taking a special interest in his training. Anderson had returned several more times after that to be a guest instructor for his class and at first glance this might seem normal Shepard believed it was anything but. It was more likely the Alliance was bringing him in to evaluate him. Whatever they were looking for they obviously found it because as soon as Shepard graduated the academy, a feat he accomplished faster than anyone in the Alliance's history, he was entered into the special N7 program.

N7's were the elite of the elite, more valuable than a thousand regular soldiers all put together. Regular soldiers could be trained, any existing abilities enhanced to the level needed to become an efficient part of the fighting force. N7's were different, what they were could not be taught nor trained. N7 operatives were forged in the fires of combat, their skills sharpened in the most dangerous and challenging of situations. The day he entered the N7 program he became the only person ever to do so without first serving in the Alliance military. As a result he also became the youngest to ever enroll in the program.

'Well…no sense just standing here and wondering what comes next.' He thought to himself.

Turning away from the window he cast his gaze around the lounge of his current ship. The captain of said ship was probably off sleeping in his room which meant at the moment he was in command of the ship, even if there was nothing to do. Eventually his eyes feel upon a cute little redhead dressed in the standard military uniform. He gave her an appreciative once over and catching her gaze delivered his patented mischievous smirk. Face turning red she batted her eyelashes back at him shyly.

Two minutes later he was pushing said redhead into a nearby closet and following after with that same smirk on his face.

There's always something to do when your name was John Shepard.

Meanwhile thousands of lightyears away two men were meeting together to discuss Shepard's future.

"So the Council has decided?" An aging black man dressed in a highly decorated military uniform.

"It seems so. As you know, humanity has long been pushing for a greater role in making decisions in the galaxy. The addition of one of our own to the Spectres would go a long way towards making that happen. Luckily what happened to you was successfully swept under the rug giving us a clean slate." An elderly man dressed in a white uniform responded.

Anderson could do nothing but cast his gaze down to the ground. He was still angry and resented what had happened to him all those years ago but there was nothing to be done about it now. So instead he had dove into monitoring the progress of several promising young humans and sending along reports to the man next to him, Ambassador Udina, who then passed them on to the Council.

For some reason the Council had fixated on Shepard almost immediately. While it was true he seemed to stick out from the group based on his raw talent and physical skills there were still several other potential candidates that the council had just refused to acknowledge.

"Well I agree. In terms of combat ability and tactics there's not a signal person better." Anderson proclaimed.

"Perhaps. But there is still far too much about him we don't know. The council may be testing him out but they have also stated that they have launched a full investigation into his past. If they turn up anything they don't like they could use it to keep him out of the Spectres and we won't be able to do a damn thing about it. We don't even know what to keep them away from." Udina exclaimed.

"We knew the dangers when we submitted his application all those years ago." Anderson replied. "We have conducted our own investigation into Shepard's past but after years of searching we have hardly uncovered anything. I doubt the Council will be able to uncover something truly damaging in a week of searching that we haven't been able to find in years."

"We had better hope so." Udina said. "Shepard has been their clear favorite and if it turns out he has some dark secret it will mean at least another decade before they even consider another candidate."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now. All we can do is trust in Shepard's ability." Anderson said with his standard confidence. Unlike Udina he had met Shepard face to face several times. Everything he had seen from this young man had convinced him that he would be the perfect candidate for entrance into the Spectres. Sure some may say he had an attitude problem, sure they might be right about him having an attitude problem, but there was denying the kids natural talent.

"Still, I've been rereading his assessments and there are several red flags every year. He has had a bad attitude ever since the Academy and that hasn't changed over the years. During school he continually failed to turn in assignments and now that he is on active duty his mission reports are always late. Every instructor or commanding officer has stated he has a continuing problem with authority. Not to mention the fact that for about ten years of his life we have no idea where he was or what he was doing. Is that really the kind of person we want protecting the Galaxy?" Udina ended his rant with the question.

"It's the only kind of person that _can_ protect the Galaxy." Anderson responded.

Udina stared at the Captain for another minute before breaking off and nodding his head.

"I'll make the call."

Back on the Alliance cruiser Shepard was busy thrusting into the moaning redhead he was currently pinning to the wall of the closet. The girl he was busy thrusting into was clutching tight to him with her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist. As caught up as he was in the act Shepard was still aware enough to hear footsteps proceeding down the hall towards them. Ignoring the questioning and frustrated look on the face of…well…he had no idea what her name was, he slapped a hand over her mouth to halt the question forming on her lips to listen in.

At first he simply thought it was a random person walking by however as he got closer he was able to identify the voice as the Captain calling down the hall towards another officer.

"Has anyone seen Shepard? I just received a call from Captain Anderson and he needs to be briefed on what's happening."

Shepard waited a few more seconds until the voice of the Captain had faded and before lowering his hand from the girl's mouth.

'So Anderson finally called with my next mission. I should probably go and see what it is' Shepard thought to himself.

However turning his attention back to the girl still wrapped around him he gave a shrug and thrusted back into her without warning. Giving a little exclamation of surprise the girl responded by digging her nails into his shoulders the two picked up where they left off.

'He can wait a little longer but I should probably make this quick.'

Twenty minutes later Shepard tracked the Captain down on the bridge of the ship talking to the ships pilot.

"Captain Willis, I heard you were looking for me."

"Shepard, where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over this ship for you." Willis shouted irritably.

"Sorry I was busy." Shepard responded with a smirk.

Willis's face grew red at the uncaring statement. If there was one thing Willis stressed on his ship it was military protocol and the fact that Shepard refused to do anything formally was a continuous poke in the eye to the captain.

'I will be so glad when this disrespectful little shit is off my ship. He may have all the talent in the world in the field but that attitude of his is a real deal breaker.' Willis thought to himself.

"I received a call from Captain Anderson, they require your presence on the Citadel." He said to his pain in the ass XO.

"The Citadel huh, it's been a couple months since I've been there." He replied.

'Wonder what Captain Anderson could want with me. Ah never mind. I just hope this job will be more interesting than the last one. Target went down way too easily.' He thought to himself.

And so it was that Commander John Shepard came to be onboard the most advanced ship in the Galaxy, The SSV Normandy. This ship itself was at the pinnacle of Galactic engineering. It was designed by a specialized team comprised of human and Council races. It would serve as a stealth cruiser, completely invisible to any long range scans meaning it could move from location to location virtually undetected.

Shepard was somewhat surprised that he would be serving as the ships XO, it's second in command, right under Captain Anderson himself. For the most part he had spent the last five years of his life, the entire time he had been a fully active N7 agent, moving from ship to ship. He would be assigned to a ship and crew for no longer than a single mission. He would lead his team to the objective and get them back out. Thus far he had never served with the same team twice.

Based on the background Shepard was able to come to the conclusion that this mission, what they were calling nothing more than a shake-down run, was complete crap. They would have no need for an N7, let alone arguably the best N7 they had in their ranks, for something as trivial and low-key as a trial run. And he was damn sure there would be no need for a freaking Spectre if that was all this mission was. The final clue was the simple reality that there would be no reason to have both a Spectre and an N7 on the same mission.

These thoughts continued to swirl through his mind as he stalked through the corridors. His destination was the bridge so he could talk with their smart ass of a pilot Jeff Moreau, AKA Joker'. He needed to make sure everything was going smoothly. If this was what he thought it was, he was about to get an opportunity to break free of everyone's command. In order to do that, it meant impressing one man, or more accurately one Turian. Nihlus, the Spectre currently travelling with them.

'If only I had time to check in with my sources on the Citadel before we left but there was no time. We were leaving pretty much right after I arrived so whatever is really going on we clearly have a time limit.' He thought to himself.

He got to the bridge just in time to hear Nihlus give a compliment to their pilot.

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased"

After saying this Nihlus turned and walked back out off of the bridge, sparing only a brief glance and a small nod in Shepard's direction. After the Spectre was gone Shepard turned his attention back to what was going on between the Pilot and Lieutenant.

"He gave you a compliment, so you hate him." Alenko was saying to Joker.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on your way out of the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, that's incredible."

If there was one thing Shepard had learned about Joker from the few hours he had known him it was that he had a bit of an arrogant streak. Not that it was unfounded, if everything people said about him was true he must be the greatest pilot in the Alliance. Judging by the simple fact he had been selected to be part of this crew Shepard guessed they must be at least mostly accurate.

"Speaking of which… when was the last time you went to the bathroom Joker?" Shepard asked casually.

"Right before we left the base…why?" he responded curiously.

"No reason," came Shepard's answer.

Joker opened his mouth to press the matter further however was interrupted as the voice of Captain Anderson came through the comm channel.

"Joker, is Shepard still there with you?"

"Yea he is. Why, do you need him?"

"Tell him to report to the meeting room. I have some things I need to discuss with him."

"Aye aye Captain."

Finishing the conversation Joker turned to the figure still on his left.

"You get that Shepard?" he asked the Commander.

"I heard. I'm on my way." After saying this he turned around and proceeded to leave the bridge area however he had only gone a few steps when he stopped and called back to the pilot from over his shoulder.

"Oh and Joker."

"Yea Commander" came the pilot's curious response.

"Your fly's down." After saying this he continues walking, just picking up the sound of Joker swearing as he does so. Despite himself he couldn't completely block the grin that came across his face.

'Maybe this mission won't be so bad. At least there's someone on this ship that knows how to have a little fun.' He thought to himself.

Walking past the giant glowing map of the galaxy detailing where they were and where they were going he gave a short nod to Navigator Pressly. They had met each other once during the aftermath of the Skyllian Blitz.

As he was passing by Dr. Chakwas he overheard the discussion she was having with some young soldier. Just by looking at him Shepard could tell that he had not seen much if any real action. The kid's eyes were far too bright and hopeful to be that of an experienced soldier. If he had to guess, he would say this was his mission out of the Academy.

"Come on doc, I've gotta get out there and show what I can do." He was saying as Shepard made his way over. "Oh, commander. It's such an honor to meet you. You're like a legend back at the Academy."

"I'm not a legend. There's no such thing as legends." Came his stoic reply. Shepard had always had a problem with these young kids fresh out of the Academy. All of them were looking to 'prove' themselves and 'show what they could do'. Far too many of them had died trying to be a hero or 'become a legend'. The truth is there are no heroes or legends. There are only survivors and the dead.

He watched as the glow in the kid's eyes dissipated.

"What's your name Corporal?" He asked.

"Jenkin's sir. Corporal Richard L. Jenkins." Was the kid's reply.

"This your first time out of the Academy Jenkins." He asked.

"Yes sir. How'd you know?"

"Your eyes. You're much too excited to be any sort of experienced soldier. No one who's ever been on a mission is ever excited to go on another." He replied.

"But everyone always says that right before a mission they see you get this light in your eyes. They say it's like you're excited to go." Jenkins replied in confusion.

"Where'd you hear that?" Shepard asked.

"After the Skyllian blitz one of the networks did a report on you. They asked a bunch of soldiers and colonists questions and that's what one of the officers that saw you said."

'Damn I really need to do a better job hiding my emotions. I've already had to go through 4 psych evals during my time on active duty, I really don't want another one.'

"I don't know what they think they saw but I assure you I'm just the same as anyone else. If I'm going on a mission it means that something's wrong and you don't ever want something to be wrong." Having said this Shepard turned away to go meet Anderson however couldn't keep from adding one last thing before he walked away.

"By the way I overheard what you were saying to Dr. Chakwas. If we are ever out on a mission together and you try to play hero I'll make sure you're stuck behind a desk for the rest of your career."

After his run in with Jenkins and Chakwas he finally made it to the meeting room. To his surprise Captain Anderson was not there yet however someone else was.

"Nihlus, what are you doing here. I thought Captain Anderson needed to see me." He asked.

"Anderson will be here in a moment. I just thought I'd use this time to ask you what you knew about this planet, Eden Prime." The Spectre asked him.

"Not much. It's not like I've ever been there myself. All I know is it was humanity's first successful colony outside our own section of the galaxy. Since then it's been nothing more than a peaceful settlement, not good for much else besides farming."

"But that's doesn't mean it isn't valuable does it Shepard." Nihlus responded. "Eden Prime has become something of a symbol to your people hasn't it? It's proof that humanity can survive and even thrive away from your native planet. But is it really as safe as you all think it is?"

"Honestly, I don't think anywhere in the galaxy is as safe as people like to think. A threat can come from anywhere on any place. I learned that lesson on Elysium." Shepard responded with a casual shrug.

Nihlus seemed to give him an appreciative grin. Apparently whatever answer he had been looking for he got it.

Just then the door to the Comm room opened and in stepped Captain Anderson, looking as professional as he always did.

"Well, what do you think of Shepard here?" Anderson asked the Turian.

"I must say from everything I've heard I didn't think he could live up to the reports. However I must say as far as first impressions go this was a pretty good one. However he must prove how good he is in the field if he wants to join our ranks."

"Hold on. Does someone want to tell me what's going on because I'm missing a few details here?" Shepard's irritated voice interrupted the two men.

The two shared a glance before seeming to come to an understanding. Nihlus then stepped back and waited as Anderson explained what was going on.

"This mission isn't actually a simple shakedown run." The Captain revealed.

"No…really." Shepard's responded, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Everyone on the goddamn ship has probably already figured that out. You don't send Spectres out on simple shakedown runs. So what exactly are we actually doing?"

Anderson ignored the sarcasm and slightly disrespectful tone Shepard was using to a superior officer. He was more than used to it by this point and lecturing him would be less than useless. That old human expression 'in one ear and out the other' did not even come close to describing what would happen. More like approaching one ear before it was slapped away and stomped into the dust.

"About a week ago our colony on Eden Prime made a remarkable discovery. They unearthed an intact Prothean beacon. This could be a huge discovery for the entire galaxy. The last time humanity discovered a Prothean artifact it jumped our technology forward 200 years. Just think about what this could do for us. What knowledge it could hold." Anderson eyes were alight with a kind of joy Shepard had never seen him with before.

"Ok, I'm sold. But why are we sharing it with the rest of the galaxy. If we keep it for ourselves wouldn't that give us an advantage?" Shepard asked.

Nihlus bristled at the comment however kept his mouth shut and allowed Anderson to continue doing the talking.

"There were some that thought exactly the same. However the bottom line is the other races have far more experience dealing with Prothean technology than we do. Not to mention think of the impact it would have on our standing with the council."

Shepard nodded conceding the point.

"Alright, fine by me. I was just asking. Personally I agree with you. Sharing something like this would do so much more for us than keeping it to ourselves. The other races hate us enough as it is."

The irritation that had been evident on Nihlus's face slowly faded away. It was a valid question Shepard had asked and judging by everything he had managed to find on this man he could see no history of discrimination or prejudice towards any of the other races. An incredible feat considering some of the things he had been through during his life.

"So what's the plan?" Shepard asked after a moment had gone bye.

"You will lead a ground team consisting of Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko and Corporal Richard Jenkins to secure the Beacon and get it loaded onto the ship. Nihlus here will tag along to offer any support should the need arise and to evaluate your performance." Anderson responded.

"Wait a minute. Why is Nihlus evaluating me? What for?" Shepard asked.

"Nihlus isn't just here to make sure the beacon is secured. He is also here to monitor you and report back to the council if he thinks you're good enough." Anderson said.

"Good enough for what?"

"Good enough to become a Spectre."

Shepard didn't respond for a moment. Sure he knew he was under consideration and he had even vaguely suspected Nihlus was here to monitor him but it was still somewhat surprising to hear it confirmed.

"Today will be the first of several missions together." Nihlus chose now to jump in to the conversation. "During this time I will report back to the Council with my evaluations of you and they will decide if you have what it takes to join the Spectres. The truth is you impress me Shepard. The way you handled yourself on Elysium during that Batarian raid was nothing short of spectacular. Not to mention your ability to not only survive on Akuze but to actually complete the mission even after your entire team had been wiped out. If you are half as good in real life as you are in the reports I've seen you'll make a great addition to the Spectres. That's why I recommended you in the first place."

"Wait, you recommended me? I've been under consideration for this since the Academy." Shepard said disbelievingly.

Anderson shot him a slightly surprised look. That fact was meant to be kept secret from any of their candidates. After all, they didn't want them getting a big head and thinking they were better than they were. Shepard noticed the look and shot Anderson a slightly cocky grin.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere. Very little went on in that Academy that I didn't know about."

"Every discussion about this topic was done over a secure connection. How did you hear about this?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question Captain?" Shepard asked seriously.

Anderson thought about it for a moment before shaking his head no. It didn't matter anymore, clearly knowing hadn't hampered his growth and to be honest he really _didn't_ want to know.

"To answer your question Shepard yes, you have been under consideration for years. However you are not the only one that has been under consideration. For the last several months myself and a few other Spectres have been going over the files and narrowing down the list of candidates. Some of the others might find themselves being reevaluated for Spectre status in time however right now we have chosen you. You have the opportunity to become humanity's first Spectre. Your admission into our ranks could set the stage for more humans to enter over time."

Shepard nodded in confirmation. "Well at least there's no pressure right. By the way, Captain?"

"Yes Shepard."

"I'm not so sure about your choice of Jenkins as a part of the team. I overheard him talking to Chakwas and it didn't exactly inspire confidence."

"What do you mean?" Anderson asked.

"He's still green. Doesn't understand the way the universe works. Thinks it's all glamor and gold stars. I can see it in his eyes, he wants to be a hero. I've seen a lot of men like him die young because they weren't ready to accept the truth. Went headfirst into a situation thinking they could handle it and that it would be their chance to prove how strong they are."

"I hear you Shepard." Anderson said. "But the bottom line is he graduated one of the top of his class from the Academy. He needs to get experience sometime and this seems like a good mission for him. He grew up on Eden Prime so his knowledge of the colony might help you out."

The skeptical look on Shepard's face did not change.

"It's your call Captain but I'm still against this. I hope I'm wrong."

Anderson opened his mouth to say more on the matter however was interrupted by Joker's voice coming over the comm channels.

"Captain, incoming distress call from Eden Prime. You might want to see this."

"Put it up on screen Joker."

A moment later they were watching a video from Eden Prime, though it looked nothing like the golden paradise they had heard about. The sky was a black and reddish color and all the green that was supposed to be there was splashed with red from the flames that were scattered across the landscape. They could not see the cameraman however they got a good look at a young woman who was calling for help.

In the middle of the chaos they saw a giant ship descend onto the colony. It looked a lot like a hand except it only had four fingers. A moment later whoever was holding the camera went down, most likely shot, and the feed went dead.

"Looks like we aren't the only people after the beacon." Shepard commented.

"But how. This discovery was kept top secret, not even the colonists know about it." Nihlus wondered.

"Little thing I've picked up over the years." Shepard began. "Nothing is ever top secret. There are always those more than willing to give out any secret to someone willing to pay enough for it."

"Well it looks like this mission just got about ten times harder." Anderson said. "This isn't just a simple pick up mission anymore. It's now an extraction. Your job is going to be to locate the beacon, secure it, radio us with its location, and keep it secure until we arrive to load it onboard and get it the hell off this planet."

"What about the colonists or any of the surviving military personnel?" Shepard asked.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective. If you see any in trouble on the way by all means help them out but the beacon is the main objective. You do not have time to get drawn into any long term battles, the beacon will be long gone if you are."

"Understood captain."

"We should be reaching Eden Prime in about ten minutes. Go get ready while I brief Jenkins and Alenko on what's happening. You three need to be ready to go the moment we reach the colony."

Having said this Anderson turned and disappeared from the room, leaving only the Spectre and Spectre candidate standing and considering the mission before them.

"Well Shepard, looks like this mission is going to be more challenging than I thought. That just means I'll have a better chance to evaluate what your like under pressure. Successfully retrieve the beacon and it will go a long way towards proving to the council that you're worthy. I need to check my equipment one last time, I'll meet you and your team down in the cargo hold."

And with that Shepard was alone with his thoughts.

'And here I thought this mission would be boring.' He thought to himself.

Knowing there was no one around to see him he let a manic smile break through his controlled expression.

'Thank god.'

Ten minutes late Shepard and his team were down in the cargo hold with Captain Anderson and the Turian Spectre. Anderson was in the process of giving them their final instruction while the Turian was busy checking his pistol.

"Since time is of the essence we are not going to be able to land in the colony. Our last reports have the beacon about 5 miles outside of town, still at the original dig site. Because of this the four of you are going to have to parachute in. We don't know what that ship was but we do know that Eden Prime has turned into a warzone. As such you will need to pull your chute as ate as possible to avoid detection."

Anderson paused after this to make sure everyone was following him. He wasn't worried about Nihlus, the Turian was a Spectre. He knew what he was doing. He wasn't worried about Shepard either, he had done hundreds of these in N7 training alone. Kaidan and Jenkins however, not so much. While it was true all Alliance personnel had to pass this type of exercise in the Academy it was far fewer in number. They had maybe done this a dozen times, far fewer than Shepard and Nihlus.

"Now we do not know the exact location of the dig site, it was kept secret so as not to give away the beacon's location. Alliance military troop 212 was charged with guarding it so if you should run into any of them they will be able to take you to the dig site."

"Approaching drop site Captain." Joker said over the comm channels.

"Acknowledged Joker open the cargo bay. Everyone put on your helmets." Anderson replied.

After the hanger door was open the wind made it much too loud to hear Anderson any more. Thankfully the helmets were equipped with comms so the four could stay in contact with each other.

"I know I'm supposed to be monitoring you on this mission Shepard." Nihlus said. "I'll be keeping track of you from afar however this mission is much too important to risk jeopardizing so we'll be splitting up. I'll be landing to the northern edge of the search zone. You and your team will land more towards the southern edge. If either of us should find the beacon we will transmit our location to the other. Good hunting Shepard."

Without even waiting for a reply Nihlus leapt out of the ship and disappeared from sight. Anderson gave Shepard a nod from where he stood off to the side gripping one of the ropes hanging from the ceiling to keep himself from flying out of the ship.

Before jumping Shepard had one last message to his team.

"Listen, I'm in charge of this mission. You stay close to me on the fall and pull your chute when I tell you to. Don't worry about what I'm doing you listen to what I say. Pull your chute early or late and I will make it my mission to ruin the rest of your career. Are we clear?"

Receiving nods from both his men he turned back towards the opening that lead out into air.

"Alright then. Follow me.

And with that both he and his team leapt out of the plane and began their 30,000 foot plummet towards the surface of the planet. He knew his two teammates were most likely keeping an eye on the top right corner of their helmets visor where an altitude meter kept track of how far from the ground they were. Shepard's eyes however were on the ground beneath him. From here he could see the devastation that was Eden Prime. From the air he saw several clearings that could be the site of the beacon however had no way of narrowing down which one it could be. He had no need for the number in the corner of his vision. Over the course of hundreds of jumps like this all N7's developed a finely tuned sense as to how far off the ground they were.

'Must be nearing 10,000 feet now.' He thought.

Glancing up at the number he saw he was at almost 10,000 exactly. He smirked to himself.

'Still got it.'

"Get ready to deploy chutes." He said over the radio.

"But Commander…" Began Jenkins.

"Don't make me say it twice." Came Shepard's stern response.

"Yes Commander."

A second later an alert came up on his visor showing that the chutes of his two teammates had been successfully deployed. If they had been through the kind of training he had he would have waited another thousand feet or so but when compared to himself they were nothing more than amateurs. He let himself plummet for a little while longer, enjoying the feeling of the air rushing past him as he plummeted towards the ground. At some point during the fall his eyes had shut.

He couldn't explain why or how he became this way but after the excitement of his first couple jumps he had found a calm peace in the experience. There was something about the rushing wind drowning out even his own thoughts had a calming effect on him, allowing him to block out everything be it his past, the present, or the future. This had caused a slight problem during his N7 training when they were practicing atmospheric edge jumps. As the name implies the students were taken up to the edge of the atmosphere and were then tasked with hitting a target 3 meters in diameter. Shepard had missed the target on his first try by a wide margin. Apparently he had fallen asleep on the way down and the wind had blown him way off course. Thankfully he had woken up before he could hit the ground and successfully deployed his chute. Needless to say his instructor had been beyond pissed with him for missing his mark and telling him he missed it because he fell asleep failed to make things any better. For some reason it seemed to make it even worse. Of course this only lasted another two hours. During which time he successfully completed the next two jumps with the fastest times of his squad.

His internal clock started to signal it was time for him to deploy. Eyes snapping open he brought his hand to his Omni tool and with the simple press of a button released his parachute into the air and slowed his progress. Even so he had been travelling at such a fast pace the ground continued to rush towards him. He could vaguely hear shouts from Jenkins and Alenko. No doubt they thought he had misjudged his timing. Shepard could only smirk as he continued to fall. When he was approximately fifteen feet off the ground he unattached his chute and dropped. When his feet hit the ground he let his legs give out and rolled, completed several cycles, before coming to a stop still in a crouch with his assault rifle drawn. His eyes were scanning the small clearing they had landed in for any sign of an enemy.

He had to wait another two minutes for his teammates to touch down. During that time he could not see nor feel anything coming near him. They were still very much in the dark as to what had attacked this settlement.

"Let's go guys. We need to find somewhere we can get a look down on the landscape." He ordered.

A few minutes later they arrived at a cliff that looked down over what used to be the main settlement. Even from this distance they could see the smoke still rising from the burned out buildings. And above it all was the giant ship they had seen in the video.

"Good God, What happened here?" Jenkins asked.

"Destruction" was Shepard's only reply.

"Eden Prime will never be the same." Was the only thing Kaiden could say.

As they watched the large ship began to lift up off the ground. For a ship that large it was extremely impressive to see how fast it could get off the ground and disappear off the planet.

"Shepard to Normandy…Hello…Joker? Anderson? Anyone?"

He waited a few seconds longer before finally giving up ad turning back towards his team.

"Sorry guys, guess we're on our own. Whatever we're dealing with here must be blocking all our communications. I can't even get in touch with Nihlus, luckily we were smart enough to have an old school backup." Shepard said holding up a strange looking pistol.

"That a flare gun commander?" Kaiden asked.

"Maybe if that flare gun was on steroids…a lot of them. This son of bitch is strong enough to carry a hell of a lot higher than normal flare guns, and brighter. That way teams on the ground and any ships scanning out in space will be able to pick up our location."

Holstering the gun Shepard replaced it with the assault rifle he had been holding and activated the telescope feature in his helmet. N7 technology was way above that of normal soldiers. Shepard's helmet came fully equipped with several applications, not to mention its own shielding to help guard against headshots. Unfortunately it wasn't foolproof, if the round was heavy enough or if the shields were drained it would be no better than plastic. At least it was better than what regular alliance soldiers received. Kaiden and Jenkins were fitted with nothing more than a half visor, which may come with a few applications but offered nothing in the way of protection.

"Better keep moving. Every second we waste here is a second for someone else to get that beacon."

They continued walking for another ten minutes before they came up on the edges of what was once someone's property. It had the appearance of an abandoned old home no one had lived in for years. The roof had collapsed inwards and the walls looked on the brink of falling down. The only problem, if Shepard's guess was right that house had been perfectly fine at the start of the day. The main problem however was about to present itself.

The second Jenkins' eyes landed on the house they widened and his pupils dilated. His breathing quickened and his legs started moving before he even realized it.

"Mom" he shouted, at this point sprinting out of the tree line and into the open space.

"Jenkins" Shepard yelled, starting to follow the green rookie before stopping as his ears picked up a whirring sound. Something was coming their way and if he had to guess he doubted it was friendly.

"Son of a bitch" He said before sprinting forwards once again, this time at a much faster pace. He was still a good 20 yards away when he picked up movement out of the corner of his eye. Coming into view from down a hill to his right was a pair of flying machines with what appeared to be guns underneath them. He could see the weapons underneath start to swivel, targeting the man he was currently chasing who was still too far away from the house to make it to cover in time, not that he was aware of the threat yet.

Swearing again he allowed the familiar blue glow to surround him and focused the energy inside of him. Just as the machines were about to open fire he exploded forward in a burst of speed and blue energy. The deadly streams of energy flew through the air and towards their target who was just beginning to realize the danger he was in. If he was with any other person he would be lying dead on the ground, thankfully he was with one of the few men in the galaxy capable of saving him.

For as fast as the shots were travelling towards him Shepard was just a tiny bit faster. Slamming into Jenkins as breakneck speed the momentum carried the two of them through the air and into the house. Jenkins may have been saved but Shepard was not so lucky. Several of the shots found there mark and while his shields stopped most of them, one was still able to get through and into his shoulder.

All of this happened much too fast for Jenkins to process. One second he was running and watching the bullets fly towards him and the next he was lying on the floor of what used to be his mother's house. Outside he could hear Kaiden laying down some fire and the two machines returning.

Ignoring his shoulder for the moment Shepard leapt to his feet and drew the sniper rifle he had strapped to his back. Moving towards a window he used the butt of the gun to knock out the glass and used the bottom of the frame to lay the barrel down on. Taking a deep breath and peering through the scope he took aim at his targets. Letting the air out and quickly inhaling a moment later a shot rang out. A second later he repeated the whole process again and one more shot travelled through the air.

The first heavy round he fired targeted the machine on the right, smashing straight on into the machines main processor, kind of like the thing's head. The next shot targeted the remaining machine with the same result. In the course of two seconds he had taken down both threats. Taking another deep breath he allowed his head to move away from the scope and the rifle to drop. His suit had already begun to deploy medigel onto his shoulder wound.

Now that the danger had passed he turned a glare onto the soldier still lying on the ground. While he may have saved him from the enemy's bullets he had slammed into him at a very fast pace. If he had to guess he would assume Jenkins had several broken ribs he was dealing with. Probably also had the wind knocked out of him.

"What the hell were you doing?" He said in a calm yet extremely threatening voice. Shepard had learned at a very young age that that low threatening voice could be more effective than yelling as loud as he possible could. This was another such time.

"I'm sorry commander. I just saw my mom's house like this and I had to find her and…" Jenkins began in a shaky voice before getting cut off.

"And what. What could you have possibly done? If your mom _was_ in this house she would have been long dead. If she wasn't there was no need for you to run into the open like moron. _You_ wanted action didn't you, excitement. Well here you go. You got your wish. You'd better enjoy it because this'll be your last mission for a while, or ever if it's up to me."

Having said what he wanted he turned his back to the young man and let out a deep breath. He heard Kaiden enter the house and drop down to check on his teammate while he proceeded deeper into the house. If Jenkins mother was here at least he would know and not get his hopes up. If she wasn't it might serve to motivate him to take this mission seriously. Needless to say this mission had knocked that naive green rookie out of him. There was nothing glamorous about the life they lead, and it was about time he figured that out.

It took him about five minutes to do a sweep of the house but he didn't find any trace of a body. At least this might stop him from sulking. Returning to the entrance he noticed Kaiden had gotten Jenkins back on his feet.

"Alright listen up. I didn't find any trace of a body nor any blood. That doesn't mean she's alive but there is a chance."

He could see Jenkins eyes soften and his mood brighten. Hope did wonders for a person's mentality. On one hand he was definitely motivated now but on the hand it could prove to be a giant distraction.

"Now I know your first instinct is to try and find her but you need to remember the beacon is our priority. You've already done enough to endanger this mission and our lives so put one more foot out of line and I'll have you working behind a desk in the archives faster than you can say Alliance. Understood." He said in his stern 'commander' voice.

"Yes sir." Came his reply.

"Good. We've wasted enough time as is, let's just hope Nihlus is ahead of us."

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thanks go out to everyone that's made it to this point. This is the first chapter to my first story. Title still a work in progress and will most likely change. My plan is to make this a trilogy with each story covering one of the games, depending on interest. As you'll no doubt find there will be several changes however I intend for the story to still follow the games for the most part. It may take some time in between updates because I plan for each chapter to be about this length if not longer.**

 **Please like, comment, and favorite. The more interest in the story the more motivated I'll be to update.**


	2. Chapter 2

****Updated****

 **I don't own Mass Effect or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 2: Fall of Eden Prime Part 2**

 _The attack on Eden Prime has been well documented since it's occurrence 17 years ago. At first glance, the sad truth is this was just another attack on a human colony on the edges of the Terminus Systems. Something that, while not common place at the time, was hardly unheard of. So, what makes Eden Prime so special? The presence of the Geth, the first time they had been seen outside the Perseus Veil since driving the Quarians from their home world 200 years prior, as well as the Prothean Beacon unearthed there is what makes this attack so well-known and studied over the years._

 _However, Eden Prime also served as a prelude to something even greater. A threat the likes of which we could not have predicted in our wildest dreams. Eden Prime was the first strike in a war that would hit the very heart of Citadel Space. It also served as the prelude to an even greater war on the horizon._

" _The Signs Unseen; A Prelude to War", by Johnathan Hawking, 2201._

-Line Break-

Nihlus raced through the ruins of what used to be the human colony of Eden Prime. He had been battling his way through enemies from the minute his legs had touched the ground. While his battles had not been especially dangerous or life threatening they had proven to be time consuming.

'Who could have predicted the Geth would travel outside the Veil to attack a human colony?' He thought to himself. 'How did they even hear about the beacon out there?'

He had just arrived at what appeared to be a loading dock at the outskirts of the colony. He had just minutes ago taken out another group of Geth that seemed to be patrolling the area. Stopping for a moment he fiddled with his Omni-tool, once again trying to break through this communication jamming and contact Shepard.

'I really hope he's closer to the Beacon than I am.' He thought.

Hearing a slight sound he spun around with his pistol already trained on the figure standing behind him.

"Saren, what the spirits are you doing here? This isn't your mission." He asked suspiciously.

"Council thought you could use some help on this one." He said back with the Turian equivalent of a smirk. "The plan was to hang back and observe you and the human, more of an insurance policy than anything else. However recent developments have made it necessary for me to step in."

Nihlus considered for a moment before nodding his head. Saren was the Council's top Spectre, it only made sense that for a mission of this importance they send him along as back-up.

"I guess it's good you're here. Who could have predicted Geth outside the Veil for the first time in hundreds of years?" He said. "The situation here is worse than I could have ever imagined."

At some point Saren had ended up behind him however he did not pay it any mind. He was busy surveying the area for any approaching Geth.

"Yes, the situation is quite dire, but don't worry." Even distracted as he was he could still hear the sound of a pistol being drawn behind him.

"I've got it all under control."

'Son of a…'

-Line Break-

Shepard and his team had left Jenkin's old home and continued on their search. So far they had encountered another two groups of those weird flying machines. Thankfully they were aware of them now and had handled it with very little to no problems.

They were just getting to the edge of another clearing when Shepard gave the signal to stop. These machines seemed to only attack in open spaces like this. This clearing was slightly different than the previous ones. It appeared to have once been an Alliance military base. There were tents lying collapsed on the ground and crates full of supplies that had obviously been used as cover in combat. Dead bodies littered the ground, eyes still open and staring unseeing at the sky.

Shepard turned to look at the faces of his teammates. Kaiden was experienced so while his eyes did betray his sadness it was more resigned than anything else. Clearly he was used to seeing his fellow officers killed. Jenkins was another story. His eyes showed shock, sorrow, and rage. Fresh out of the Academy this was probably the first time he seen death like this. The more Shepard looked at the battlefield the more he understood, this wasn't a battlefield. It was a massacre.

Just as Shepard was about to give the order to move forward he picked up the sound of gunfire coming from the other side of the camp. He didn't have to wait long before the source of the noise showed itself. A young female Alliance soldier came running into view with two more of those flying drones following close behind. Skidding to a stop she took cover behind one the crates and pulled out one of her guns.

-Line Break-

Ashley Williams had been having a nice day until the sky fell. She had woken up for morning exercises, gone and had breakfast before reporting to her station. As a gunnery chief it was her job to check on the weapons set up to guard the camp. They had recently changed locations to guard some kind of scientific discovery, what that was they were not told. As such the defenses were not ready yet so it was up to her and her team to get the defenses up and running. Unfortunately that would never happen, they were too late.

It was around midday when the sky turned dark. They had no warning, one minute the sun was shining and everything was as good as it could be, the next the sky had turned dark and everyone was fighting for their lives. The majority of them lost. She had helped one of her squad mates to send out a distress message shortly after the attack started. Unfortunately said squad mate did not make it two minutes after they had sent the message before he was gunned down by a Geth trooper. The remainder of her squad had not lasted much longer and suddenly Ashley was on her own. She had been on the run ever since.

She rounded a corner with a pair of Geth troopers following seconds behind her. Sliding to the ground she scrambled behind one of the crates that was lying in the field and brought her gun back up and prepared to fire. She could hear the Geth troopers coming her way but before she could duck out of her cover she heard several shots coming from the edge of the clearing. Moving her gaze she was able to pick out a squad of Alliance soldiers, three if she had to guess, firing down onto the Geth, making quick work of them. Taking a couple seconds to catch her breath she allowed her rifle to drop to the ground for the first time in an hour. Once she thought she was ready she rose to her feet and faced her rescuer. She could tell by his uniform that he was high up in the chain of command, a Commander if she didn't miss her bet.

"Thanks for the help sir. I've been running around shooting at anything that moved for the last hour. I would have taken care of them myself but my rifle overheated so I had to start running and there was never a time to get turned around." She said still breathing hard.

"Not a problem", he responded. "Wanna tell me who you are now?"

"Oh, sorry sir. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. My unit was stationed here to guard some kind of scientific discovery until it could be extracted, am I right to assume that's you?"

"It is." He responded. Reaching up to his head he removed his helmet so he could see her without the screen and so she could see him. He was well aware of two things that he was constantly using to his advantage. The first that he had an intimidating physique, he was tall at 6' 3" and his body had been fully developed from years of fighting. However intimidation wasn't his only option because while he may be intimidating he knew he was also good looking. More girls than he could remember had made that fact quite clear to him. One look at Williams was all it took for him to confirm that she was no exception, after all you don't have to like someone to be attracted to them.

"But that assignment was supposed to be top secret. I doubt you are supposed to be mentioning it to anyone you come across." He continued.

Ashley was indeed taken in by his looks. There was something about him that both attracted her and made her shy away. He was handsome enough and she could clearly see that he had a body that went beyond that of normal soldiers. She had also noticed the N7 he had plastered to his chest, meaning he was very good at what he does. Yet his eyes were definitely off-putting. There was a cold demeanor to them that almost made her want to hide or say sorry, for what she didn't know.

"Sorry sir but I had to assume. We were told you would be getting here today and considering the entire colony is on fire I doubt looters or thieves would take on the Geth to get some scientific discovery that we didn't even get any information on." Ashley said with a slightly embarrassed face. He was right, she shouldn't have mentioned it without first being sure. However something she said registered with the man to the Commander's right.

"Wait a minute, did you say Geth" he asked in a disbelieving tone. "They haven't been seen outside the Veil in centuries why do you think they are here now."

"My guess would be they heard about the discovery and somehow got more information about it than we did. They either intercepted a transmission or someone leaked them the info. Besides, these things can't be anything besides Geth. They're way too advanced to be simple mechs what else could they be?"

Shepard considered her reasoning. It was true that these things were far too advanced to be mechs and it was true the thought had crossed his mind before but he been reluctant to settle on it being the answer and he been too preoccupied to give the question any real thought until now. In fact the more he thought about it the more likely it seemed.

"If they really are Geth speed becomes even more important. Williams, I need you to take me to the scientist's camp. We need to extract that discovery." Shepard said.

"Of course sir. But may I ask who you three are?" Ashely asked.

"I'm Commander Shepard, N7 and leader of this mission. To my right is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and to my left is Corporal Richard Jenkins of the SSV Normandy. Now if we're done with introductions can we get moving? We've wasted enough time already."

"Yes sir." Williams replied quickly before setting off in the direction of the scientist's camp.

-Line Break-

'Is there anything else that can go wrong during this fucking mission?' Shepard thought to himself.

They had found the dig site in minutes thanks to William's knowledge of the area. Unfortunately they were already too late, the beacon had been moved. For some reason Shepard didn't think Nihlus had gotten their first and extracted it. From what he could see there was no landing marks so it wasn't airlifted out. Instead it appeared to have been moved by ground. The tracks led up the hill behind the dig site, heading back towards the colony.

"Williams, what's in that direction?" He had asked.

"Well there's a tram that leads to the spaceport a little ways away from here." She had replied. "They must be trying to transfer it off world."

When they had gotten to the top of the hill they had been in for a nasty surprise. The colonists that the Geth had been impaling on spikes were not as dead as they had at first appeared to be. As they were moving past the spikes had collapsed back down, lowering the bodies down to the ground. Once they had dropped they had proceeded to start twitching and moving.

"Oh my god." Kaiden had yelled. "They're still alive."

That brought them to the position they were in now. Shepard had his shotgun out and was proceeding to blast any of the "husks" that got close while his team weakened the ones further away before they reached him. It was a good system, they had already picked off about half of the original dozen husks before they ran into some trouble. One of the husks managed to sneak through while Shepard was busy blasting another. In a burst of blue energy it knocked Shepard off his feet, the world blurring around him. Once it got him down it jumped onto him and raised its clawed hand and brought it down. Before he could be hit he raised his left arm to block the strike and reached his right to slip his knife out of the pocket on the side of his leg. Bringing his arm up he plunged the blade into the creature's neck.

Just as he shoved the thing off of him he was confronted with another husk baring down on him. Reaching to the side he grabbed his shotgun and brought it up to put a round through the things chest, knocking it several feet back and to the ground where it remained still. Getting back to his feet he called that familiar blue glow and tingling feeling back to himself and launched a charging husk twenty yards back where it was gunned down by his teammates.

Taking a deep breath he scanned the area for another few seconds before allowing himself to relax.

"Everyone alright?" He asked. Ashley and Kaiden were breathing hard while Jenkins had sat down of the grass.

"We're good sir" Ashley responded.

"Good, take a rest we move in five. Jenkins stand up. You're restricting your breathing sitting like that. I'm going to scout ahead, when you three are ready come follow me."

Switching his shotgun out for his assault rifle he left the three to catch their breaths and continued forward.

'I've already wasted enough time as is.' He thought.

As he reached the edge of the clearing and looked down he could finally catch a glimpse of the tram the Geth had most likely used to move the beacon. Unfortunately that was not all he saw. He counted at least a dozen Geth soldiers that stood between him and that tram. Thinking quickly he ducked into cover before any of them could catch a glimpse of him.

'Alright let's break it down. 12 maybe 15 soldiers stand between myself and my current objective. I could wait for the other three and improve my odds but I can't afford to wait any longer. That beacon could be getting loaded up on a ship right now. Smartest thing to do right now would be to go with my sniper rifle. I should be able to pick a couple off before they can get a lock on my location. After that it's a simple firefight.'

Placing his assault rifle on the ground he drew his sniper from his back and took aim at the Geth closest to him. Taking a deep breath in he pulled the trigger before letting his breath out and selecting another target and repeating the process. As he predicted he was able to take out four Geth soldiers before the rest could locate who was shooting at them. When he saw them moving towards him he dropped another with a perfect headshot and strapped his sniper rifle back onto his back and picked up the assault he had placed on the ground. Five seconds later he had brought down the sixth soldier, leaving only 9 remaining.

'Would have been awesome if I had someone that could pull off an Overload.' He thought to himself.

Calling on his biotics again he lifted one of the approaching Geth into the air and focused his fire on the second still on the ground. This one proved to be more difficult with some kind of a shield that protected it which meant he had to drain its shields before he could take it out. Thankfully it seemed these soldiers couldn't move very fast so he had just enough time to take it out before it could reach him. Right around that time the Geth he had lifted into the air came crashing to the ground just in front of where he was taking cover behind a rock. Leaping over the rock he activated the Omni-blade on his wrist and brought it down into the head of the Geth as it was trying to rise to its feet.

'Eight down, seven to go.'

As he was making a dash to his left to take cover behind a strategically placed crate lying on its side he was greeted with a hail of weapons fire from the remaining troopers. His shields were able to take the brunt of the assault however they could not account for all of it. By the time he reached cover he had received three shots, two in his left arm and one in his left leg. Reaching for his Omni-tool he approved the use of Omni gel to treat his wounds. Ignoring the pain he rose out of cover and fired towards another Geth trooper and brought it down, two shots to the chest and one into its head, before ducking back down to avoid the return fire.

'That's nine.'

Just as he was wondering how he was going to take the remaining six Geth Troopers he picked up the sound of gunfire coming from behind him. Turning he caught sight of his team firing down towards the enemy and bringing down another two Geth before they too ducked into cover.

'About time they caught up. Only four left, time to move forward.'

Once again he rose out of cover and leapt over the falling crate. Running forwards towards another overturned crate he raised his rifle he brought down another Geth trooper and slid into cover before he could get hit. His movement also caused a distraction and allowed for Kaiden to activate his own biotics to lift one of the Troopers into the air while Jenkins and Ashley gunned it down.

'2 left.'

Peeking over the crate he saw the remaining Troopers were standing right next to each other giving him an idea how to end this fight.

'Well I've got five grenades for this mission, might as well use one.'

Detaching one from his waist he stood up and let it fly towards his targets. His aim true the grenade stuck the ground between his two targets and stuck there, letting out a quick beep before exploding. While it was not enough to take the both out it did do a good amount of damage and allowed Shepard to leave cover, get in close and gun them down in quick succession.

'And that's all of them.'

Overall he figured the entire thing took right around eight minutes. He allowed himself half a minute to catch his breath and wait for the other three to join him.

"Gotta say Commander that was really impressive", he heard Kaiden say.

"Yeah, you took them on by yourself and kicked their asses." Jenkins said with bright wide eyes that looked at him admirably. It was a look he was well acquainted with, though it still annoyed the hell out of him when he saw it. Ashley remained silent however he could tell she was impressed.

"Alright team, we're heading down to the tram and following that beacon. With any luck it hasn't been moved off world yet. With even more luck Nihlus is already there and working to secure it. Let's move." Shepard said.

As they were making their way down towards the station Shepard heard slight movement inside one of the storage sheds and paused. Maybe there were some colonists that had been able to hide and escape the slaughter.

"Whoever's in there come out now. If you don't I'm coming in." He said in what he called his 'Commander' voice. It was slightly louder than normal but carried a lot of power and authority.

"Alright we're coming out. Please just don't shoot." He heard a woman reply.

The door opened and out came a woman looking fearful but trying to stay strong. Behind her he was able to make out the form of man still cowering in the shed.

'Pansy' he thought.

As he opened his mouth to start asking questions he was interrupted by the excited and relieved voice of his greenest member.

"Mom", Jenkins yelled and moved forward to embrace the woman.

"Richard" she replied and wrapped him up in a hug as well. The display brought a smile to the faces of Ashley and Kaiden however Shepard just stood back and waited. After a few moments Jenkins seemed to remember what was going on and detached himself from his mother and turned back to Shepard with an embarrassed look on his face. Shepard just stared back with one eyebrow raised as if to say 'are you done?'

"Sorry Commander." He said sheepishly however remained by his mother's side.

"Just say goodbye, we've got to go." He said with an impatient tapping to his foot.

"The commander's right mom, we have to go. Did you happen to see a group of those synthetics come through here with a large object?" He asked.

"No, sorry. When the attack hit we locked ourselves in the shed and tried to stay as quiet as possible. The attack seems to have upset my assistant." She says while pointing to the man still inside the shed. "He's never been the most stable person to begin with and with everything that's happened I've had to do all I can to keep him under control. I gave him an extra dose of his medicine but I'm still waiting for it to kick in."

Apparently by mentioning him the man decided it was time to come out and start ranting at them.

"This is the end. Synthetics are rebelling against organics. They look to purge the galaxy of every living thing, until only machine is left. The end is coming, the end of everything we know. It's all over, it's all over, it's…"

The man's ranting was abruptly cut off as Shepard let loose a blast of biotic energy that knocked the man back into the shed and slammed him against the wall where he then tumbled to the ground and was still.

"What the hell?" came Jenkin's mother's response.

"I did you a favor. We're moving on to the spaceport which means you are going to be locking yourself back inside that shed and waiting for reinforcements from the Alliance to arrive. He'll be fine, just unconscious for a while which leaves you one less thing to worry about." Shepard said with no trace of an apology in his voice.

She sighed but acknowledged his point.

"You're probably right."

Turning around to head back into the shed she gave one last look at her son.

"Be careful Richard." She said with a sad smile.

"Stay safe mom" he responded. She gave him a small nod before going back into the shed and locking the door once again.

"Feel better Jenkin's?" Shepard asked.

"Yes sir, much." He responded with a small smile on his face.

"Good, now focus on what's ahead of us. I doubt we're done fighting so you'd better pay attention if you want to get back to your mom." He said in his commander voice.

"Yes sir." Came his enthusiastic response, snapping into a solute.

Shepard rolled his eyes at the display. There were many things he didn't like about being in the Alliance and that was one of them. Everyone was so serious and there were way too many regulations. That was one of the reasons he was pushing to be a SPECTRE. He could do whatever he wanted and no one would care as long as he got the job done.

Continuing their journey down to the tram they were greeted with another unwelcome surprise once they reached the loading zone. A Turian was lying face down on the ground with a bullet wound in the back of his head and two in his back.

"Shit", came Kaidan's voice. "It's Nihlus."

'Of course it is. God forbid something actually went right on the damn mission.' He thought.

"I'm guessing this is the Turian you were looking for." Ashley said.

"Yep. Meet Nihlus, the SPECTRE that we were 'working with' during this mission." Jenkins said with air quotes around 'working with'.

"Guess you're not faster on your own." Shepard said.

Ashley looked over at him quickly with a surprised look on her face. At first she thought he was mocking the Turian. Even if he was a Turian she still didn't believe in mocking the dead. However Shepard's face showed no sign of any emotions whatsoever. It was more like he was stating a fact.

Shepard's ears once again picked up the faint sound of movement and within a second had his pistol drawn and pointed at the source. He quickly relaxed his posture but didn't lower his weapon as he came face to face with what appeared to be a dock-worker.

"Whoa, whoa, don't shoot." The man said raising his hands up and ducking his head for whatever reason.

'Honestly, what does he think ducking will do? I'm like 5 yards away from him, does he really think ducking slightly is going to make miss.'

"What are you doing here, shouldn't you be hiding?" Shepard asked still not lowering his weapon.

"I was. I was hiding behind the crates when I saw you guys I figured I could come out now. Whatever those things are, they didn't find me. I had to watch as they gunned everyone down. I don't have a weapon, there was nothing I could do." He responded. His voice had the desperate tone that was almost begging them to understand his decision to hide.

"Hold on, you were hidden behind the crates. Why didn't anyone else think of that? I'm sure there were people that tried to hide, why did the Geth find them and not you?" Jenkins asked.

"Maybe it was because I was already behind the crates when the attack started." The worker responded.

"Wait a minute, you were already behind the crates when the attack happened? What were you doing back their?" Jenkins again asked.

"Look, I work ten hour days just to make enough to get by. Sometimes in order to make it through my shifts I'll duck behind the crates and take an hour to nap to get through my shift." He explained, embarrassed.

"So, you're not just a coward but you're lazy to." Came Kaiden's angry reply. Shepard merely snorted out a half laugh.

'Yea how dare this guy take a nap when he's got such an important job? I mean if he doesn't move those crates from here to wherever someone might not get their stuff for another hour.' He thought to himself.

"Hey, don't judge me man. What was I supposed to do run out there and die with them? I told you I don't have a gun or anything to protect myself or anyone else." The man responded indignantly.

Shepard's mind, which had previously only been half listening zeroed in on a particular detail.

"Wait, you said you've been back there this whole time?" He asked.

"Yea, why?" The man answered back uncertainly.

"Did you see what happened to this Turian?"

"Yea, the other one shot him. They seemed to know each other, I think he called him Saren or something like that. They started talking and this guy let his guard down. The other Turian shot him in the back of the head, then I guess to make sure he was dead put another two into his back." The dock worker replied.

'Saren…where have I heard that name before?' He thought to himself.

"Wait a minute, there was a second Turian?" Kaiden asked.

"Yea. After that a bunch of those machines came by with some kind of big object and they loaded it on the tram."

"The Turian was with them?" Shepard asked.

"Yea, if I heard things right it sounded like he was giving them orders."

Shepard's mind reeled. Geth had been reclusive for hundreds of years. Everything he heard said they attacked any organics they came across on sight yet this Turian, Saren, was managing to control them somehow.

'I'm missing something. Whoever Saren is he clearly doesn't want anyone to know what he's doing yet, which means I still have a chance to blind side him. But first things first, getting that beacon.'

"Thanks for the info. I'd suggest you get back behind the crates. We've cleared the area but more might show up and I have no idea how long it'll be before Alliance backup gets here." Shepard said.

"Yea alright." The dock worker said before turning around and heading back to his hiding place.

"You were too easy on the guy Commander." Kaiden said. "The guy was a coward and a lazy employee."

"Believe it or not Lieutenant not everyone likes there job. To be honest I really don't care, in terms of importance that guy doesn't even make the list." Shepard responded.

"Yes sir."

"Now let's go get that beacon. Sounds like I've got a Turian with a target on his back just waited for me."

-Line Break-

 _(Meanwhile)_

A Turian stood in front of the beacon that had brought death and destruction to this colony. A strange energy flowed between him and the strange Prothean relic. As the energy stopped his eyes shot open and he staggered backwards from the force of the vision. Taking a moment to catch his recover he reflected on what he had just seen.

'Images from places I've never seen, creatures I don't recognize. Yet there are things missing, the beacon was only half the code.' He thought to himself. 'Whatever this is it clearly wasn't meant for my mind. If I'm going to fulfill my destiny I am going to need some way to translate what I have seen. Perhaps _IT_ knows a way.'

Turning to the Geth gathered around him he gave his next instructions.

"I've retrieved the code from the beacon, we have no further use for it. Arm the charges and level this colony. By the time the Alliance gets here I don't want them to find anything but a smoking crater."

Having said this he headed for his own transportation that would take him off world and allow bring him to the rendezvous point.

'Humans are a blight on this galaxy, one that I will eliminate. The time has come for their return.'

-Line Break-

They had had to fight their way through another squadron of Geth Troopers just to get to the Tram. Once on they had gotten a few minutes to rest before being confronted again.

"We're in trouble Commander", came Ashley's voice. "There are way more here than what we've been dealing with and we're running out of time."

Ah yes. The next challenge they were currently dealing with. Getting off the tram they had spotted a ticking nuclear bomb synched up with 3 others and a timer that said they had just six minutes to disarm them. They had taken care of the first two without much trouble, Shepard had some experience with explosives, both arming and disarming. However that was when they were attacked. It looked like two squads of Geth, 20 or so total, came out of nowhere and started firing at them. At the moment they were pinned down on a bridge, rising up every once in a while and firing back at them before ducking back down when their shields had been drained.

'Son of a bitch, I can see the third bomb too. We're running out of time.'

Realizing what he had to do he summoned his biotic abilities and condensed them into what was commonly known throughout the galaxy as 'Barrier.'

"Cover me." Was the only warning he gave his teammates before he broke cover and sprinted towards the bomb, a stream of gunfire following his as he ran. The bomb itself lay in a sheltered part of the station providing him cover from the Geth Troopers.

His barrier was able to block most of the shots until it failed and his shields began to take the hits. By the time he reached the bomb and cover his shields had failed and he had taken another three wound to his right side this time. Once again he fought through the pain and went for his Omni-tool to initialize the use Omni-gel once again. As the gel took affect he set to work deactivating the bomb as gunfire continued to rage around him. It only took him a few seconds to disarm the device and pick up his gun to continue to fire against the Geth.

Reaching down he unclipped a pair of grenades and let them fly into a group of Geth before ducking back into cover and listening to the pair of explosions that followed. The explosions had managed to take out the majority of the remaining Geth, only 4 remained standing between him and the remaining explosive. He figured there must only be about a minute left which meant they had to move fast. Leaping from his cover he dashed forward and unleashed another barrage of bullets from his assault rifle. Reaching his next point of cover, a large crate taller than he was, he ducked behind it and prepared to unleash his next attack. During his previous dash he had taken out another Geth while his team took out a second. That meant there were only two left.

Calling on his biotic ability once again he sent the energy surging forwards on the ground with a movement of his arm that greatly resembled a bowling motion. This was a very new technique, not yet well known throughout the galaxy. It was a technique the Asari had developed a few months ago and had taken to calling 'shockwave'.

Peeking out from his cover he saw that the shockwave had taken down one of the Geth and severely weakened the remaining. That Geth only lasted another second before a shot from one of his team members, Ashley if he had to guess, took it down. Racing forward he located the last remaining explosive and set to removing it, finally disarming it with a mere 13 seconds remaining.

'Not quite secret spy level but I'm almost there' he thought to himself. He had found several old vids from centuries past, movies they had been called. The graphics sucked but some of the plots had been decent. He had been somewhat fond of James Bond, though the plotlines felt a little ridiculous if you asked him.

He didn't bother to wait for his team and instead surged forward to continue searching for the beacon. As he got to the top of a flight of stair he saw it standing in an open area, completely unattended.

'I guess all the Geth left to guard it had come to take us out. But if it's just sitting there it was clearly meant to be destroyed in the explosion. That means that Turian must have downloaded the information and taken off.'

After making his way down he saw the rest of his team coming down the stairs he had just come down. He was just wondering how he was going to signal the Normandy for extraction when whatever had been jamming their signals was lifted.

" _Shepard. Do you read me? Communications seem to be back on line. Where are you?"_

Activating his comm he spoke gave his reply.

"We're at the loading bay on the port near the south of the colony. We have the beacon however Nihlus was killed during the mission."

" _What? Shit, how the hell did that happen?"_ Came Anderson's reply.

Before Shepard could explain he heard a strange noise that made turn around. Ashely had approached the beacon and apparently activated it somehow. It was pulling her towards it, her struggling proving to be no use against its force.

Racing towards her Shepard shoved her out of the way before he was caught in the pull instead.

'Son of a bitch. This is why I don't help people.' He thought to himself before he was lifted into the air and the visions came.

 _Death_

 _Destruction_

 _A strange world_

 _Machines_

 _Darkness_

The beacon exploded with a surge of energy, sending the commander sailing through the air before crashing to the ground and knocking the three team members off their feet. Not that Shepard knew any of this, he had been knocked out cold by that time. This left Ashley, Jenkins, and Kaiden to check on him and radio the Normandy for help.

A colony in flames. The beacon destroyed. A SPECTRE dead. The Commander dying one the ground. To the remaining colonists it seemed like the end, but for the rest of the galaxy it was only the beginning.

 **Author's Note:**

 **Another chapter done. Thank you to everyone that came back. To those that are new welcome. As you can see there are several details that have changed from the game but the end result is the same. I will be following the storyline of the games however there will be many difference. Some small others not so much. I feel like if everything was the same, well, there would be no point in writing it.**

 **As some of you may have guessed I will be following the Renegade path for the majority of it. Not to say he will be a complete Renegade but expect some brutal decision and plenty of destruction.**

 **Thanks to all those who have read. Please Follow, Favorite, and Comment. Please comment. I got a good amount of follows and favorites from the first chapter but not many comments. Please give me some feedback. What did you like, what do I need to work on. Any suggestions. I may not always agree but if you ask me something I will respond. Remember the more interest you show, the faster I update.**


	3. Chapter 3

****Updated****

 **I don't own Mass Effect or any of the characters.**

 **Warning: Strong Language**

 **Chapter 3: Meeting the Council**

 _The Citadel, so named by the Asari when it was discovered in the year 578 BCE. This magnificent structure was created by the Protheans well before their downfall. There is a substantial amount of evidence pointing leading to the acceptance that the Citadel served as the Prothean's seat of government for thousands of years as well. While not technically proven, there is still far too much for unknown about the Protheans for anything to be legitimately proven, it is as close to a fact as anything we know about those who came before._

 _Not long after the Salarians, the second space faring species in the modern galaxy, arrived and joined the Asari in creating a united galaxy. This was the birth of the Citadel Council, the main ruling party that still exists to this day. Since then, the only species to date to be added to the Council is the Turians._

 _While the Council itself is comprised of only 3 species, there are still a number that are counted as members of Citadel Space. From some of the oldest, such as the Volus, to the younger species to achieve interplanetary travel, such as the humans, the Citadel has proven to be the center of the galaxy. Not simply for politics, but culture and economies as well._

" _Uniting the Galaxy; The Impact of the Citadel", by Revis T'Lara, 2179._

-Line Break-

Saren was in a good mood as his massive ship moved through space, away from the human colony he had just turned to rubble. Well, maybe not a good mood, but as close as he got nowadays.

The plan had gone off exactly as he envisioned it. Having to kill Nihlus was necessary however not something he had wanted to do. The fellow Turian had been the closest thing he had had to a friend for many years. But he could not allow emotions to cloud his mind, nor ruin his plans. He knew what was coming and he had worked to ensure his safety in what was to come.

As he sat in his chair and looked out into the abyss he heard the door behind him hiss. Without turning he addressed the Asari he knew was behind him.

"What are the reports from the colony?" He asked.

The Asari paused before responding to his question. "The explosives you set did not go off, the colony was saved."

Cocking an eyebrow Saren rose to his feet but still did not turn to face her.

"And what of the Beacon?" He asked, a dark tone clearly visible in his voice.

Another pause. "It was destroyed, some kind of defense protocol however…"

The voice trailed off as if afraid to continue. He finally turned around and took in the woman before him. It was not difficult to imagine how beautiful she had been in her prime, when she was still in her maiden stage and exploring the galaxy. While age may have weathered down some of that beauty she still possessed the looks and attitude that could make any male bow to her will, no matter the race. All except one.

Making his way towards her he brought one clawed hand up and, ignoring the barely perceptible flinch she gave, ran two fingers down her cheek.

"Sweet Benezia, why do you hesitate?" He crooned. "You are my closest ally and confidant. So please, speak to me."

Leaning into the now familiar touch slightly she felt herself relax, seemingly without her say so. She had found this happening at an alarmingly often rate these days. Almost as if she were losing control of herself, though for some reason she found herself unable to focus on it.

"It seems as though a human was able to activate it before it was destroyed." She continued.

And in that instant she was reminded of how violent this Turian truly was. That beneath those honey-sweet words and actions lay the cruelest Spectre in the galaxy. He whipped himself away from her and grabbed anything small enough to get his hand on, throwing them across the room where the struck the walk and broke. This continued for several minutes as he worked to release the anger that had welled up inside him lest he do something he might regret later. Finally when he felt that he had gotten rid of enough of his aggression he turned back to her and stormed back until he was standing directly in front of her. His superior size and intimidating expression would have been enough to scare anyone, but Benezia held strong. Only the slightest amount of fear was recognizable in her gaze, reminding Saren of how fearsome an enemy, and valuable an ally she was.

"What human?" He growled.

-Line Break-

Pain was the first thing Shepard registered as he slowly regained consciousness. He had not felt this weak in years, perhaps ever. He didn't know how long he laid there, fighting to accomplish the simple task of opening his eyes. Thus far all he had been able to manage was a slight flickering to his eye lids and the faintest peak of light.

It took him a few moments to recall how he had ended up like this. Slowly the memories of the mission on Eden Prime came back to him, including his failure to get to the beacon first and the death the Turian that had been assigned to monitor his eligibility for Spectreship.

'That's gonna cost me' He thought.

His brain was then hit with a tidal wave of pain, worse than anything he had ever felt before. Which was really saying something considering the number of morning he had woken up hung over after a night of drinking and partying. But comparing this to a hangover would be like comparing a paper cut to having your hand cut off. It was so great in fact, it forced Shepard to do something he hadn't done since he was a kid. He let out a small groan of pain, instantly alerting Dr. Chakwas to his now conscious state.

Over the next few second he felt her grip on his wrist, no doubt checking his pulse, before she lifted up his eyelid and he saw light for the first time in he had no idea how long. After shining a light in his eye, for whatever reason all he knew was it amplified his already pounding headache, before moving on to his other eye. As soon as she finished examining his eyes they slid back shut. It seems he still lacked the strength to keep them open.

"Sleep Shepard", he heard. "You can afford to rest for one more day."

As if he was waiting for her permission he felt his new-found consciousness slip away from him. Moments later he was falling back into sleep, and the nightmare that awaited him.

-Line Break-

When he awoke again the pain in his head had faded to a dull throb and he felt a good deal of his strength had returned to him. Being able to open his eyes on his own and keep them open was a huge relief for him. Next step was sitting up, a process he was already dreading.

Placing his arms by his sides he used them as guidance to raise himself up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He was just about to test his leg strength when the door to the medbay opened with a swish and in walked the duo of Anderson and Chakwas. Their eyes widened upon weeing awake and sitting up before Chakwas moved to go check on her patient. After several minutes of poking, prodding, and a constant stream of questions she finally deemed him fine though warned against any strenuous activity for the next few days. While she was busy doing that Anderson had apparently taken the time to call in his teammates from the mission. It only took them a few minutes to arrive, Jenkins first followed by Alenko and finally, much to his surprise, Ashley Williams.

"Hold on a second. What is she doing here?" He questioned the Captain, unable to keep the hostility out of his voice. After all she was the reason he was the way he was.

Hearing the aggression in his voice Ashley's gaze dropped to the floor.

"I transferred her to the Normandy. She received glowing recommendations from both Corporal Jenkins and Lieutenant Alenko. Both praised her abilities in combat and ability to keep a cool head under heavy fire. From what I've heard she should be a fantastic addition to the crew." Anderson replied.

Hearing the captain's praise of her the gaze she had just dropped to the floor slowly started to rise and pride returned to her eyes. However that brief moment was soon crushed upon the commander's next words.

"She may have been somewhat useful however her reckless action could have compromised the mission. She had no reason to approach that beacon." Shepard said angrily.

"That may be true Shepard but it is not fair to ruin her entire career for one mistake." Anderson said with a sympathetic glance towards the girl in question.

"Fine", he said. Looking over at Ashley he continued, "But you and I will be having a talk later. You too Jenkins." At that second statement he swiveled his gaze over to the man in question. He had not forgotten the times _he_ had put the mission in jeopardy.

"Shepard, about the mission…" Anderson began. By his tone of voice he could already tell what the captain was going to say he didn't want to hear. "We failed…the beacon was destroyed in the explosion that rendered you unconscious."

Shepard froze at the news, eyes turning an unnerving blank. After a moment he turned a tight lipped smile that felt anything but friendly towards Ashley. She may not have known Shepard for very long but she knew enough from dealing with her drill instructors during training to know the looks that meant run and hide.

"Williams…you and I are going to have a _very_ long talk once the captain leaves." He said.

"Y-Yes sir." She stuttered.

Giving a stiff nod he turned his attention back to his captain.

"So what happens now?" He asked.

Well…first I should inform you that it has been five days since your mission on Eden Prime. To be honest I'm surprised we didn't lose you. It was touch and go for a long time there but you managed to pull through." Anderson paused for a moment to let the information sink in.

'Wow…been a while since I've been out that long. Akuze wasn't it? Oh well.'

Giving Anderson a nod to continue Shepard worked on getting some feeling into his legs.

"Since then we have been assisting the Alliance reinforcements in rebuilding the colony while we waited for you to wake up. We have sent a message to the Council regarding the loss of the beacon and the death of their Spectre. They request that we return to the Citadel immediately following you regaining consciousness. Speaking of which…Williams. Please go tell Joker to set a course for the Citadel immediately."

"Yes sir." She said, eager for any excuse to get away from the commander.

"That doesn't mean you're off the hook. Once you tell Joker I expect you back down here for that chat we talked about." Shepard said before she could make her escape.

"Of course commander." She responded before making her exit.

"Lieutenant Alenko please go with her. I need to talk to Shepard alone." Anderson said.

Shepard waited until they had left the room, leaving it completely empty, before turning back to the captain and addressing him.

"So what happens now in terms of my Spectre candidacy?" He asked.

"Your failure on Eden Prime really set us back. The Council liked you Shepard, but they really wanted that Beacon. Ambassador Udina has spent the last several days arguing on your behalf to keep you in consideration and thus far the results have been positive. We seem to have the Asari Councilor, Tevos, in our corner which is somewhat surprising. The Salarian Councilor, Valern, seems to be remaining neutral at the moment, no surprise there. The only resistance we are running into is from the Turian Councilor, Sparatus. Again, no surprise there he has been against us getting a human into the Spectres for years now and the loss of one of their best agents is not improving his mood."

"I imagine not. So far we have one for, one against, and one undecided. Not as bad as it could be I guess." He said.

'Good to hear she's holding up her end of the deal.' He thought.

"It could definitely be worse. A lot of credit goes to Udina, he's been able to shift some of the blame off your shoulders. Sparatus can't exactly complain too much considering one of the Council's best agents, a Turian, was killed during the mission. But it is the one who killed him that I'm most interested in. Saren _is_ the Council's best agent, a living legend among Turians. The fact that he killed Nihlus is a disturbing thought but one I have no trouble believing. He's always hated humans, considers them a blight on the galaxy. We've already reported this to the Council however they are skeptical at best. They have launched a C-Sec investigation into him however I doubt they'll turn up anything which means it's up to us to make them believe it. I doubt Saren will stop at just one colony."

"I guess that'll be my job?" He asked.

"Hopefully it won't come to that." Anderson said. "With any luck C-Sec will turn up _something_ in their investigation to cast some doubt on him. But for now rest Shepard. I have no doubt things will get chaotic when we reach the Citadel."

Anderson turned to leave before remembering something and turning back to the commander.

"By the way Shepard, before I forget is there anything you can tell me about when the Beacon exploded. Kaidan told me you spent several seconds suspended in mid-air. And while you were out we monitored your brain activity. The readings we got were consistent with intense dreaming and by the looks of things it wasn't a good dream."

"You could say that", Shepard responded. "I don't know what the hell that thing was, but I do know it's no weapon."

"Then what do you think it was?" Anderson asked.

"If I had to guess I would say a message. But it didn't speak to me. It was a series of images, and none of them were pleasant. I saw death…destruction. Other than that I'm not sure. They moved too fast, too chaotically. I couldn't understand it."

Anderson's face took on a worried look. Any message that focused on death or destruction couldn't be good news.

"Is there anything else you can remember?" Anderson asked with a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. "This is important Shepard."

Shepard's face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to make sense of the cluster of images that were burned into his mind yet were not clear enough to make out what they were of. Finally after a minute his eyes snapped open.

"Synthetics. I saw synthetics killing organics. They were hunting them…butchering them. A battle is too nice a word for what I saw. It was a massacre."

Anderson could do nothing but remain silent for a moment. Synthetics killing organics was not what he wanted that message to be about, especially considering what had happened just days ago.

"Was it the Geth?" He asked.

"No, I don't think so. They didn't look like Geth, but I can't be sure. Whatever they were this message was clearly meant to be a warning."

Anderson took a moment to digest what his XO had just said before nodding to himself. Whatever that was there was nothing he could do about it right now. Turning once again to leave he paused before the doorway and said in farewell.

"Let me know if you figure anything else out. But for now take it easy, it'll be another couple of hours before we arrive at the Citadel."

"Yes sir. But for now get Williams in here."

"Don't be too hard on her Shepard." Anderson said. "She's been beating herself up enough as it is."

"Doesn't mean she should get off easy. She didn't just endanger my chances of getting into the Spectres she endangered humanity's chances to increase their standing in the galaxy. She needs to get it into her head that her mistake could have very far reaching consequences."

"I understand Shepard. Just remember what I said."

After saying this Anderson left the room to seek out the Gunnery Chief.

'So…it seems I have a new target.' He thought to himself, allowing a slight grin to make its way onto his face. 'I just hope he's a more worthy opponent than I've had over the last few years. After all, what fun is playing the game if there's no challenge in it?'

-Line Break-

"Coming up on the Citadel." Joker's voice came over the speakers.

At this point Shepard had finally been released from the medbay and was currently passing the time in his own quarters. Usually he would be using this time to let out the stress that had built up during the mission. However, not only was he new to this ship but he figured it might not be the best idea with Anderson on the ship. Normally he could get away with stretching the Alliance's regulations regarding relationships but not this time. Anderson was one of the highest ranking members of the Brass. He had known him for years and while he let Shepard get away with a lot he could not afford to on a mission with as many eyes on it as this one.

So with random sex with a crew member out of the picture he was left to check on his impressive, if he said so himself, network of contacts to see what was new. Not surprising the major talk of the galaxy was the invasion of the colony on Eden Prime and the appearance of the Geth for the first time in centuries. Humanity was, unsurprisingly, furious and had begun demanding the Council take action. Several other species were sympathetic but the general consensus was this was a human problem that they needed to deal with on their own.

Besides those issues only two peeked his interest, both of which required his presence and were on the Citadel. The first was a rather peculiar matter. Apparently the Consort, a rather famous Asari on the Citadel, required some help with a rather sensitive matter. She wasn't asking for him however someone as connected as she was would prove to be a rather useful ally. The second was more personal. It was a message from his old friend Rita, apparently her sister had managed to get herself into a rather dangerous situation, though she wouldn't say what over the message.

'Rita's sounded urgent so I should probably deal with that first. Then I should drop by the Consort's Chambers to see if I can't help her out.' He thought to himself. 'But for now I should probably get to the bridge before we dock. The Citadel is always an impressive sight, no matter how many times you see it.'

That was how he wound up standing next to Ashley and Kaidan as they watched the massive space station they were approaching.

"Whoa…so that's the Citadel. It's incredible." Ashely breathed out in a whisper.

"First time Williams?" Shepard asked.

"Yes sir." She responded.

Shepard had indeed spent a good 15 minutes yelling at her for what happened with the Beacon before finally calming down and dismissing her. Since then things had been back to normal with the two. He still didn't necessarily like her but he no longer disliked her. Only time would tell if she would prove to be a valuable ally for him.

"Whoa…look at the size of that ship" Kaidan exclaimed.

"The Destiny Ascension, the pride of the Citadel fleet." Shepard explained. "Built by the Asari hundreds of years ago it has protected the Citadel and served to intimidate all who even think of attacking this place. It's been over a hundred years since it last saw any kind of real action however it is still fully operational."

"You sure know your stuff don't you Shepard." Joker commented.

"I've spent my fair share on time on the Citadel. Even lived there for a year or two." Shepard said to the surprise of the three present.

"Really…I didn't know you lived here.' Kaidan said.

"Like I said it wasn't for very long."

The short answer made it clear he was not going to volunteer any more information on the subject. This left Kaidan to rethink some things. He had known Shepard longer than anyone else on this ship, not counting Captain Anderson, and yet he still knew virtually nothing about the man.

"Yea well, I guess it's pretty impressive but size isn't everything." Joker commented from his pilot seat.

"Why so sensitive Joker?" Shepard asked, a rare teasing tone coming across. His comment coaxing lights laughs from Kaidan and Ashley, causing Jokers face to turn slightly red from embarrassment.

"I'm just saying there are other factors. There's speed, maneuverability, firepower." Joker defended.

"Yea yea, the whole it's how you use it excuse. Real original Joker." Shepard commented, causing the still laughing teammate's volumes to increase.

"Wow, another penis joke. Sounds like you're trying to compensate for something by making fun of mine." Joker said with a chuckle. Now the laughing was turned on him, though it didn't last very long. Shepard was nothing if now quick witted.

"I've never had any complaints."

Their discussion was cut short as they were joined on the bridge by Captain Anderson as he came with a message for the team.

"Alright our first stop once we're docked is to visit Ambassador Udina in his offices. Shepard, I assume you know where that is?"

Shepard gave a short nod to indicate that he did before Anderson continued.

"Good. Jenkins, Alenko, and Williams will accompany you as part of your team during the mission. Afterwards Udina will announce your arrival to the Council however I imagine they will know minutes after we dock."

The rest of the team gave their "Yes sir's" while Shepard simply continued to watch as Joker received their docking coordinates and begin to bring the Normandy into the station. He had never liked coming back to the Citadel though so far there appeared to be no sign of C-Sec interest in him.

'Looks like I'm going to need to find some to sneak away and deal with those two matters.' Shepard thought. 'As far as the Consort is concerned she would make an interesting friend if I could help her out but it won't cost me much if I don't get to her. As for Jenna that's a little more urgent. She may have called in her favor already, but I still owe Rita one, which means that one's not an option.'

Checking to make sure Anderson and his team were still busy watching the Normandy dock at the station he once again allowed that unnerving and excited grin to stretch across his face for a moment before it was gone the next as Ashley turned to glance at him.

'There's always something to do on the Citadel.' He thought.

-Line Break-

Ashley Williams was honestly starting to doubt her decision to sign on with the Normandy. After her involvement in the mission Captain Anderson had approached her and asked if she wanted to join and she had been quick to jump at the opportunity. Typically after a traumatic experience like the one she had been through the soldiers were allowed a brief leave of absence which is why Anderson had asked rather than just having her reassigned.

The opportunity to serve on an assignment as illustrious as this one had left her very little to think about. After what had happened with her grandfather during the First Contact War her family had been successfully blackballed by the Alliance brass. There was a very good chance this would be the most important position she would ever hold and her best chance to do something to put her family's shame behind her.

Yet all that optimism had turned into something completely different when her recent trip to the medbay had brought her face to face with perhaps the scariest thing she had ever faced. And that included the Geth that she had faced just a few days ago. She had discovered just how bad it was to piss off the Commander. On a brighter note it seemed he felt much better since then, going back to treating her like a regular member of his team. She had honestly been looking forward to her first trip to the Citadel, even if it was for business. They had to get some down time at some point right?

But until that time she was stuck dealing with politics. In particular an old man with a very annoying voice that was currently lecturing them, Ambassador Udina.

"That mission was your chance to prove you, and humanity, were ready to join the Spectres and get a larger role in galactic decisions." He said. "Now that entire plan is in jeopardy. You were their favorite Shepard, if you are declined entry it could mean another decade or more before they even begin to consider another human."

Ashley watched as the Commander stared at the Ambassador. On the outside he may look calm however she recognized the look in his eyes and the way he was standing. It was just like how he was hours ago in the medbay. For a moment she was honestly scared he would snap and go after the older man however he simply maintained that bored expression on his face as he waited for him to finish.

"That wasn't all Shepard's fault." Anderson interceded. "Saren messed up the entire mission and killed Nihlus."

"Ah yes, Saren." Udina said with a sigh. "I forwarded that detail to the Council just as you asked however they are sceptic. In all honesty they are far less than sceptic, the Turian Councilor was outright outraged. Saren is perhaps their greatest agent, any allegations against him are normally thrown right into the trash. Because of the circumstances they have launched an investigation with C-Sec but I wouldn't count on them finding anything. Most of what he does is highly classified."

Anderson let out an annoyed breath and rubbed his forehead in frustration. Ashley felt shame and frustration bubbling to the surface as she was once again face to face with the consequences of her actions. Sure there was good chance that the beacon would have exploded when someone the Normandy approached or someone came to load it but it didn't make much of a difference. The fact was she was the one that had caused it and right now the commander was the one paying for it.

She had been extremely surprised when she had learned Shepard was being considered for Spectreship. It was an honor no human in history had ever earned yet when she had congratulated him he had been surprisingly nonchalant about it. It was another mystery about him and the way he worked. She had talked to Kaiden about it and he too had admitted that though he had served with Shepard on a previous mission he was still not any closer to figuring him out.

"Surely there is something that could be done." Anderson said. "There has to be some way to convince the Council Saren is guilty."

Udina nodded. "There is. Fortunately I was able to convince the Council to grant us an audience with them later today. They will want to hear about the mission, which means any evidence we have may be presented to them at this time. Shepard, they said to make sure you were there. It seems they want to talk to you."

Shepard raised an eyebrow and spoke for the first time since he entered the office.

"What would they need to talk to me about?" He asked.

"I'm not sure." Udina said. "And that's what's worrying me. They _did_ launch a background check with another one of their agents. Is there anything in your past that they could have dug up that could get deny you a place in the Spectres?"

For most people that would have been a shake of the head and an immediate know however to the surprise of Ashley, Kaidan, and Jenkins, Shepard actually paused and a thoughtful look came across his face. He honestly had to think about it.

"I don't think so." He responded.

That answer did little to relieve both Udina and, secretly, Anderson. They both knew they had put forwarded a candidate with a mysterious past and now it seems it might come back to haunt them.

"In any case I suppose there's nothing to do until the Council meeting later this afternoon. Until that time you're all on leave. Just make sure you are at the Council chambers come five o'clock." Anderson said in dismissal.

They had arrived at the Citadel early in the morning meaning it was still only eleven o'clock Earth time right now. That gave them six hours of rest before they needed to appear before the Council. Ashley turned to the commander and the other members of the team to ask.

"Ok, so what's everyone doing until then?"

"I think I'll go for a drink." Kaidan responded. "Anyone know any good places to get one here?"

"You can come with me if you want." Shepard answered. "I'm meeting up with an old friend at Flux, one of the more popular night clubs around here. You can get a drink if you want and there's even some Quasar machines upstairs if you feel like gambling a bit."

Quasar was perhaps the galaxy's most well-known form of gambling. It was created by the Asari who knows how long ago and bore a striking similarity to the old human game 21. The only difference was it used machines instead of a deck of cards.

"I think I'll come along with you two." Ashely interjected. Sure, technically it was still morning but in the Alliance and in space, time became more a formality so the old human discouragement against drinking in the morning pretty much went out the window.

"What about you Jenkins?" Kaidan asked the young soldier.

"No, thanks guys. I'm actually headed back to the Normandy to see if I can get in touch with my mom. I need to see how she's doing with the whole rebuilding process." Jenkins responded.

And with that the four parted way. Ashley and Kaidan followed the commander to Flux while Jenkins headed back to the Normandy. Udina and Anderson remained in the office.

"I told you it was a mistake to go with Shepard." Udina said. "If they were able to find anything damaging that could be it for humanity."

"There's no point arguing about it now." Anderson responded. "All we can do is get ready to defend Shepard should the need arise."

-Line Break-

As they entered Flux, a rather loud and somewhat obnoxious nightclub located on the Presidium, they were all met with the typical sights and sounds. The music was loud and booming, no words simply sounds. There was a large crowd of people swaying and moving on the large dance floor that dominated the majority of the downstairs. To the far side away from the entrance was a large bar and several tables for those who came for a drink or to enjoy the services of the attractive waitresses making their way from table to table in tight fitting dresses.

Kaidan and Ashley set off towards the bar while Shepard took a moment to survey the scene around him. As a kid living on the Citadel he had spent many hours around this place, whether it was clearing tables or taking part in other ways of making money. Honestly he was glad for the work, the Citadel didn't have any laws against child labor like earth or other human settlements did. It was here that he had met the sisters Rita and Jenna, though back then they were simply girls waiting around for their mother to finish _her_ shift. They were around his age, Shepard had been 13 while they had been 12 years old. After he left the Citadel they had lost contact for a while before reconnecting when he had returned for a 'visit'.

Finally spotting the familiar red hair working her way between tables Shepard started to make his way over. He was about ten feet away when she finally caught sight of him and a bright smile blossomed across her face. Setting down the tray she was carrying she informed a fellow waitress she was taking a twenty minute break she made her way over to the usually intimidating man. As she came over he allowed a small smile to break through his usually stoic demeanor. They may not be close but Rita was one of the few people in the galaxy Shepard was genuinely fond of.

Once she was close enough she drew Shepard into a tight hug, letting go only after she had felt his arms come around her in return. She delivered a quick kiss to the cheek as she backed away before gesturing him towards one of the open tables and catching one of the waitresses on her way by and ordering them some drinks. Sitting down across from him she allowed herself a few moments to observe how much he had changed over the years.

"Well, it's about time you stopped by to visit." She said. "I don't even know how many years it's been since I last saw you."

"About six I think." Shepard responded. "Not that I don't love talking to you and catching up but I'm on a bit of a tight schedule.

Rita let loose a sigh.

"Same old Shepard," she said. "Always in such a rush. Unfortunately, your right. What I'm asking you to do is a matter of some urgency. Like I said in my message, Jenna's managed to get herself into trouble again."

Jenna was the younger twin, losing to her sister by six minutes. Though it was nothing more than chance, Jenna did act more like the younger sister. Rita was calm and level headed while Jenna had a habit of letting her emotions rule her. This often caused her to rush into decisions and end up in some dicey situations. The last time Shepard had been on the Citadel, Jenna had ended up in the middle of a firefight in the wards because she had insisted on going where she should not have. Shepard had needed to bail her out of trouble, giving him one more scar to add to his already impressive total.

Shepard heaved another sigh, already wondering what the impulsive girl had gotten herself into this time.

"What is it this time?" He asked.

"It seems she was inspired when she heard you had passed your N7 training." Rita said. "She has been muttering for a while that she wanted to do something more meaningful but I thought I had managed to talk her out of it. Then two weeks ago she quit her job here and took up bartending at that shady bar in the Wards, Cora's Den."

Shepard eyebrow raised in that sceptic manner he so often used.

"Ok, I get how that would make you concerned." Shepard said. "But I'm not sure how she thinks that's going to make a difference?"

"Neither did I." Rita responded. "That's why it took me so long to contact you. I couldn't understand why she'd do it. The pay is worse, the customers are ruder and more violent, and the place itself is just terrible. Then three days ago I overheard her talking on the phone to someone. She didn't think I would be home yet, I was supposed to be working another two hours but I got off early. Anyway I listened in and heard her talking to someone at C-Sec, though I didn't get a name. Turns out she's working as a mole, gathering intel on some of the criminals that go there."

Shepard let go of another sigh. If she was working with C-Sec things just got three times more complicated. He had spent years doing his best to stay away from anything even closely related to them. Thus far he had been very successful, managing to fly in under their radar. But now the only way to get Jenna out of there was to convince her contact to pull her out, something that would not be easy. On top of that he was on a time limit, not just trying to do it before the Council meeting but also leave himself enough time to visit the Consort as well.

'Well better get started.' He thought to himself.

"I'll take care of it." He said. "Will she have a job waiting for her when I'm done?"

"Yes. I've already talked to the manager. Jenna was one of our best waitresses, the manager said he'd be thrilled to get her back." Rita said.

'Good. One less thing I need to worry about.' He thought to himself.

"Alright. I'll let you know when it's done."

With that said he stood up and dropped a few credits to pay for both his and Rita's drinks. As he was making his way out he attracted the attention of his two teammates, both of whom had been watching him as he talked to the beautiful redhead. While it had started out looking like two old friends meeting up for drinks it had quickly changed. There was no laughing or smiling, it looked much more like they were talking business than pleasure.

"Should we follow him?" Ashley asked her drinking buddy.

"Probably not." He replied.

"But we're going to right?" She asked.

"Absolutely." Kaidan responded.

The two looked at each other before seeming to come to a decision. Kaidan paid for their drinks, much to the disagreement of Ashley, before they set off to follow the commander. They followed him as he walked through the Presidium, across the lake, and towards the Wards access corridor. As he descended the stairs the path took a sharp right turn. The two waited a moment to make sure he got further ahead of them before setting off after him. Just as they were reaching the turn they felt rather than saw a pair of hands reach out from around the corner. Next thing they knew they were being held against the wall and looking into the irritated eyes of their commander.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" He asked them, not letting go or relaxing the pressure.

The two looked at each other, silently arguing who was going to explain to the pissed off N7. Shepard didn't say anything, simply standing there with an eyebrow raised while he waited for an answer. Finally, Ashley won their stare off so it was Kaidan who answered the commander.

"Um, well you see…" Kaidan started.

"Save it." Shepard cut him off. "As it so happens I might need your help, so I'll let it slide this time. But if you ever follow me again I will shoot your ass out the nearest airlock, are we clear?"

Too scared to make any noise his two teammates simply nodded their heads in confirmation. Taking another moment to make sure his message had really sunk in he finally eased up his pressure and allowed the two to move away from the wall.

"Good." He continued. "Now follow me. You two are about to get your first look at the less glamorous parts of the Citadel. The Wards are nothing like what you've seen up till now. Best keep your weapons handy, there are those that will shoot you over a couple hundred credits."

Walking down the corridor they finally reached the elevator that would take them down to the Wards. Unfortunately the elevator was on another floor so they had to wait for it to come pick them up. This allowed the three some time to talk amongst themselves, though Shepard was less than enthusiastic about it.

"You'd think it would be busier." Ashley commented.

"What do you mean?" Kaidan asked curiously.

"Well if this elevator goes down to the Wards wouldn't there be more people waiting to catch it?" She asked.

"Not as much as you'd think." Shepard said. "Those who live on the Presidium have very little interest in the Wards unless they're looking for something illegal. Sometimes you'll have teens grew up on the Presidium and are looking for an 'adventure' but other than that no one really travels between the two. C-Sec has their own private elevator they use and anyone trying to go from the Wards to the Presidium has to pay a pretty heavy toll."

Ashley and Kaidan looked conflicted at the thought. They were still green and were not used to the injustice and bullshit that this place was built on.

"Isn't that a little unfair?" Kaidan asked while Ashley nodded her head in agreement.

"Probably but that's the way things are." Shepard said with a shrug. "You're assuming anything in this place is fair. The reason the Citadel has existed for so long the way it has is those on top have set laws in place to make damn sure they stay on top. The only way to go from the Wards to the Presidium without paying is if you have a work pass. It is downloaded to your Omni-tool and allows you to forego the payment. It helps the establishments on the Presidium keep a constant stream of cheap labor."

"That's terrible." Ashley said, horrified. The idea that something so underhanded could exist on a place everyone in the galaxy wished to be at was difficult to believe.

"It's the way the galaxy works." Shepard said. "Those on top tend to stay there while those at the bottom have to claw and scratch just to survive. You don't have to like it but I don't see it changing anytime soon."

After this they lapsed into a tense silence. Finally the elevator reached them and the doors slid open. There was no one in there so the three simply walked in and set their destination. Shepard sighed.

"And now it's once again time for the greatest mystery in the galaxy to present itself." Shepard said.

"And what's that sir?" Kaidan asked.

"How the fuck we can jump between systems in a matter of hours but it takes ten goddamn minutes for an elevator to go from point A to point B."

-Line Break-

It may not have taken ten minutes for them to exit the elevator but it sure as hell felt like an hour. From there they had to change elevators and get into the one that would actually take them to the Wards. That had felt like another hour, though in actuality was only another five minutes.

'Honestly when the Protheans built this thing did they enjoy being stuffed in a cramped space with a bunch of people they didn't know?' Shepard asked himself.

Thankfully the elevator dropped them off very close to his desired destination. The only good part about the long ride was it gave him time explain, very briefly, what it was they were doing and where they were going. He didn't go into his history with the two sisters, only saying that he owed Rita a favor and she was cashing it in.

"So Shepard, what kind of a relationship did you have with this girl?" Kaidan asked as they stepped into the poorly lit hallway.

Unconsciously Ashley found herself listening more intently rather than looking around her. Though she wasn't really sure why that was.

"I really don't think that's any of your business Alenko." Shepard responded with one eyebrow raised.

"So that means the two of you had something." He asked with a chuckle.

Shepard sighed, something he found himself doing a lot of recently. He wasn't sure if he likes people trying to get to know him better. In fact he was almost sure he didn't.

"Fine, you really wanna know. I worked with their mom back when I was living on the Citadel. They tended to hang around there a lot cause their dad split on them so we started talking. Years after I left I came back for a visit, we met up for drinks and the rest of the night's a blur of sheets and red hair."

At this point Shepard was smirking at how red the lieutenant's face had gotten. Looking over he saw Ashley's face had also turned red however there was also a twinge of something else. Was that irritation? Shepard didn't dwell two long it because Kaidan had found the grace enough to ask another question.

"So, which one did you end up...uh, you know, with." He asked.

"Both."

He could already see the man's mouth opening to ask another question. He could feel the irritation inside him building. He honestly wasn't sure if he would be able to put up with another question or if he would end up decking him. Thankfully he was saved from having to choose between the two options by the sound of gunfire. Reacting to instincts that had formed over years of being in life threatening situations he grabbed his two teammates and threw them down behind cover before diving after them. He was already reaching for the pistol he had strapped to his side.

The area they were in was a big square with railings all around that actually provided some excellent cover. In the middle was a giant hole that led down who knows how far. If you fell down there that was the end was all he knew, which coincidentally proved to be advantageous for them. His two teammates had at this point also drawn their weapons and were getting ready for a fight.

"Who the fuck are these guys?" Ashley yelled over the sound of rounds thundering through the air and slamming the air around them.

Shepard peeked out of cover and quickly surveyed the situation before ducking back down to avoid the next round.

"Looks to be about 5 of them, all Turian." Shepard said. "Looks like they all have the Blue Suns' insignia on their armor."

Coming out of cover he took a few shots at one of the Turians before ducking back down.

"What the hell are Blue Suns?" Kaidan asked.

"Haven't spent much time at the edge of Citadel Space have you?" Shepard asked. Coming out of cover he took another couple shots and watched an opponent go down before ducking back down. "They're a merc group known for their brutality and efficiency. They used to just work private security but in recent years they've been branching out."

While he was talking the team of Kaidan and Ashley had managed to take down another enemy. Now they were back down and waiting for the heat of their weapons to dropped back down. Seeing an opportunity two of them had decided to move forward. Using the cover Shepard snuck closer to them until he was at one of the beams and waiting for them to get close enough for him to strike. As they were about the round the corner he struck. Grabbing the rifle of one of the mercs he channeled his biotics to blast the other to the side and over the railing where he fell screaming hundreds of feet below. Twisting his grip on the remaining merc he drew his pistol from where he had placed it and promptly put two rounds into the Turians head. The merc dropped lifelessly to the floor while Shepard made his move on the remaining one.

Ignoring the shots that were firing around him he charged around the square and closed in on his target. Seeing it was useless and with his weapon overheating the merc decided to try to make a run for it. He was in such a panic that he forgot Shepard was not the only person he had to deal with. He only made it a few steps before Kaidan came out of nowhere and swung his rifle like a bat, cracking the Turians skull and sending him to the ground.

"Not bad there lieutenant." Shepard commented as he reached the down merc.

"Yea well, figured you would want to catch one of them if you could." Kaidan replied, a happy feeling buzzing in his gut. Shepard was not one to give out praise or compliments lightly.

"Good instincts. You all right there Ash?" Shepard asked.

"All good sir." Came the reply as said woman joined the two looking down at the fallen merc.

"Alright, help me move him." Shepard commanded. Thankfully no one else had come along yet and looking around he did not notice any cameras that could pick up what had happened, which was most likely why they had chosen this area to strike.

After they had learned the Turian against the wall Shepard used his gun to tap the Turians head, attempting to wake him from his unconsciousness. Finally after a few minutes they heard a groan and the merc started trying to shake away the fog. Kaidan's swing had managed to crack open the notoriously tough skull of the Turian, second only to the Krogan in sturdiness.

"You might want to go away for this." Shepard said to his teammates. "Because what follows in not going to be pretty."

He paused to give them the opportunity however neither one moved. They had both gotten a nervous feeling in the pit of their stomachs but were determined not to look weak in front of their commander. Shaking his head Shepard turned back to address the Turian.

"Why's you come after us?" He asked. "Surely you saw the weapons and armor so this was no mere attempted mugging. You would have waited for another victim. So who hired you?"

"Screw you human." The Turian rasped with a defiant look in his eyes.

Shepard smirked. That was the wrong answer.

Moving his pistol he set the chamber against the left Turians knee and pulled the trigger. Blue blood exploded upwards though Shepard managed to keep it off his armor. The Turian screamed in pain and try to reach down to the wound however Shepard shoved his head back, once again making a cracking sound as the back of his head made contact with the wall. Moving his gun over to the other knee he asked again.

"Who hired you?"

Still the Turian hesitated, so Shepard did not. He pulled the trigger again with the same result. The Turian screamed in pain and tried to curl in on himself only to once again have his head driven back into the wall. Behind Shepard, Ashley had a hand over her mouth trying to keep from screaming or vomiting, she wasn't really sure which. Kaidan had worked with Shepard once before and as such had seen a glimpse at how cruel the man could be but was far from accustomed to it. He watched with widened eyes and fought back the urge to pull the commander away. This was too cruel for who they were. They were the Alliance, the good guys. Shepard was one of their biggest heroes yet here he was, torturing a merc for information.

After the merc had settled down slightly Shepard moved his aim until it was pressed in between the Turians legs.

"Resist all you want I'll just keep working my way up. Eventually I'll have to get to your head." Shepard said with a smirk. That proved to be too much for Ashley Williams. She moved forwards and tried to pull Shepard away from his victim.

"Stop it Shepard, this isn't who we are. We're better than this." She begged him.

The look he turned on her could have frozen Tuchanka, the Krogan desert home world. It actually managed to get her to let go of him and take a few fearful steps back until she was again side by side with Kaidan. Shepard continued to stare her down for another minute before turning back to the Turian.

"So, either you tell me who you're working for or you are done with Asari dancers forever. Your choice." He said, his voice cold and cruel and left no doubt as to whether he was bluffing.

"Alright, it was Saren. I wasn't supposed to know but I overheard the conversation between him and my boss." The Turian finally broke down. Satisfied Shepard rose back to his feet.

"Oh god. Saren's gonna kill me. He's going to hunt me down and murder me slowly, painfully." The Turian was now breaking down.

"No he won't." Shepard said, his eyes still with that cold, dead look. "He won't get the chance."

Kaidan realized what he was going to do about a half second before it happened.

"No, don't…"

It was too late. Shepard had already raised his gun and put two rounds into the helpless mercs head. With no life left the body slumped over and fell to the floor. Meanwhile Shepard turned to face Kaidan and Ashley, both of whom had disbelieving looks on their faces at the act of cruelty he had just committed.

"What the hell Shepard, he gave you the information. You could have let him go." Kaiden exclaimed.

"True…I could have. But then Saren would have been tipped off that he talked. This way he'll probably just figure everyone was killed in the fight."

Ashley had tried to hold it together but herself unable to anymore.

"How could you be so cold?" She asked. There were tears in the edges of her eyes. "He may have attacked us but he was still a person. How can you just take a life like that?"

Shepard watched her with a blank look. He figured she was probably attracted to him before, even if she didn't realize it herself yet. He knew how he was portrayed in stories, as some kind of hero. The perfect soldier that every recruit should strive to be. He hated it because every time one of those was assigned to his charge, the ones that looked at him like he was a god, he knew they were bound to be crushed when they saw the real him. The ruthless killer that had allowed him to accomplish everything they had heard, and even stuff they hadn't heard about. He knew what he had just done crushed any developing feeling the chief may have had for him.

For Ashley, things were even worse. She had gone to the same training facility as Shepard though a year after he had left for the N7 program. As such she had heard praise from her instructors about the legendary physical and combat abilities of this man, not to mention his mastery of tactics. They had left out the bad attitude that came along with it, though those that still remained that had been in class with Shepard had always spoken of it. To her and the rest of the females of the academy that just served to make him more human in their eyes. More attainable.

"Look Williams. I'm not going to apologize for doing what needed to be done." Shepard began. "You can call me evil, or cruel or whatever else will make you feel better. The bottom line is I'm the one that killed him, not you. So there's no reason for you to be feeling guilty. As for the Turian he was a member of the Blue Suns. They're ruthless. They kill woman, children, and the elderly, it doesn't matter to them. In fact just to pass initiation for that group you are required to murder someone, to prove that you can do what needs to be done. When I think of everything he has probably done, all the people he has most likely killed then trust me. I'll sleep just fine."

With that he turned away and started heaving the bodies lying around over the edge and dropping them, watching for a moment until they fell out of sight. Hopefully that would keep them from being traced back to him. Not to say he would get in trouble for it, they had shot first after all, but he really didn't want to put up with the hassle.

Ashley and Kaidan meanwhile had been left to think over what he had just said. In a way he was right, they realized. Who knows how many lives he had most likely saved, how many families he had just helped get closure. Kaidan was more of a realist, he knew given time he would be able to accept the commander's position. Ashley wasn't so sure. She was beginning to understand why he did it but that didn't change the fact that she believed it was wrong. However both of them had just met the Shepard that he kept hidden away from the public, and they would never be able to look at the Alliance hero the same way again.

After his work was done Shepard returned to his two companions.

"I get it if you think what I did was wrong." He said. "All I need to know is if it will affect your ability to follow me as your commander?"

Both shook their heads no. They may not agree with him but they knew he cared, if only somewhat, about the people in his charge. And above all he cared about getting the mission done. They may not really like him anymore, but they still respected him.

"Good." Shepard said with a nod and a slight smile. "But don't tell anyone about what just happened. The Alliance Brass has been looking for any reason to deem me emotionally unstable."

Kaidan and Ashley weren't so sure that if that was a bad idea or not. However they could not afford to lose Shepard, not when he was humanity's best hope of getting a Spectre.

"But what about what he said?" Kaidan asked. "He said Saren hired them to kill us, we could use that in the trial."

"Unlikely", Shepard responded. "They'll never believe that a dead merc told us that before he died. And even if he was still alive it would be his words against Saren's and there's no way we would win that battle."

Kaidan looked as though he wanted to protest but considered Shepard's point for a moment before nodding his head in acceptance. The commander had a point and they knew it.

"Now, time to get into that bar. It's just through this passage and I've already been delayed longer than I wanted. We only have another two hours to get this sorted out before we're needed to appear before the Council." Shepard said as the three continued on their way, the horror of what had just happened beginning to dwindle from their minds.

As the doors to the Citadel's most dangerous bar opened up and the three were met with a blast of pulsating music. Unlike Flux, which had been more of a nightclub scene, Chora's Den was obviously built to be more of a strip club than nightclub. Standing on the rafters hanging a few feet over the bar a host of Asari dancers were busy swaying and gyrating to the beat. As they entered and looked around they saw there were even strippers on the tables, somehow managing to dance on their knees. The only two races that seemed to work at this place were Asari and humans, with only one human male busy tending to the bar.

"I guess they've never heard of male strippers." Ashley commented over the music. "Don't they know woman should be catered to as well?"

Kaidan looked at her with a smile tugging on his lips.

"Oh, is Ash sad she doesn't get to see any half naked men dancing around her?" He asked playfully.

"As a strong, empowered woman…yes. Yes I am." She laughed.

"Don't look at me Williams, I haven't stripped since I was 16." Shepard said causing his two teammates to shoot surprised looks at him. While it sounded as though he was joking his face was completely expressionless leaving the two to wonder whether he was joking or not.

Finally Shepard was able to spot a familiar but slightly different head of red hair working behind the bar. Making his way over he gestured for the two following him to stay behind for the moment. When he got to the bar Jenna was busy flirting with a Turian who had definitely had two drinks too many. Seeing that she hadn't noticed him yet he cleared his throat to get her attention.

Swiveling to face him she put on her best greeting face before noticing who it was.

"Yes, what can I get for…oh shit." Jenna had finally noticed who it was she was talking to. Under normal circumstances she would have been thrilled to see John Shepard again but she was technically under cover at the moment and he did not look happy.

"Hello Jenna. I think I'll have my usual if you remember it." Shepard said with his smile that never quite reached his eyes. It was the smile that should have been friendly but instead gave off an unsettling vibe.

"Yes…I remember it." She said, reaching for a tube of Asari hard liquor and poured a generous amount into one of the shot glasses before passing it over to him.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you John but would you mind telling _what the hell you're doing here_?" She hissed. Shepard gave no notice to her tone, instead choosing to swing back and drink the entire contents of the glass in one go.

"I'm here to keep you from fucking up your life. And your sisters too. Seriously Jenna…what the hell are you doing here? And working for C-Sec on top of it." Shepard asked in an exasperated tone.

"Shh. Are you fucking crazy? If anyone here finds out what I'm doing they'll kill me." She said in a panicked and lower tone.

"I really don't give a shit if anyone finds out. I'll kill anyone that comes after you plus you'll have to quit and go back to Flux." Shepard said uncaringly. Sliding his shot glass back over to her she reaches for the tube and refills the commander's glass.

"I get what this is. Rita told you didn't she?" Jenna asked while he pounded down another shot.

"Yea, she did. Called in her favor. She just got lucky I happened to be headed to the Citadel at the time or who knows what would've happened to you. By the way, how's your mom?" He asked. He couldn't believe he hadn't taken the time to ask Rita when he saw her earlier.

"What, Rita didn't tell you?" Jenna asked.

"I was kinda busy trying to find out what you had gotten yourself into this time." He responded, annoyed.

"She's about the same." Jenna said with a sigh. "She still won't take a step outside the apartment but at least her health isn't getting any worse."

Shepard nodded his head, content. He had been trying to keep tabs on them but it wasn't foolproof. Something could have very easily slipped through his net. Thankfully he had already set up a fund and dumped a good number of credits into should she need urgent care. Not that Jenna or her mom knew, it was something he had entrusted to Rita.

"That's good, now tell me who your contact is so I can beat the shit out of him and bust you outta here." Shepard said with his best charming smile, even going so far as to throw a wink in. While Jenna may have been the more adventurous sister who had had more than her fair share of boyfriends but she still had a weakness for John Shepard. This was made apparent as her face took on that shade of red she never saw unless she was talking to him.

"I can't Shep. Who knows how long mom's health is gonna hold up and I'm getting a great bonus from C-Sec for every piece of information I give them." Jenna explained, still speaking in a hushed tone.

"Listen don't worry about your mom. I wasn't gonna tell you this but I've sent your sister a good sum of money over the last few years for your mom. If something comes up you should have more than enough to cover he medical costs." Shepard said with a gentle, reassuring smile. "And if you don't just let me know and I'll send you some more."

Jenna could only shake her head in amazement. It never ceased to surprise her how someone so cold and calculating one minute could turn out to be so caring and considerate the next.

"Why do you do this John?" She asked still shaking her head. "Why are you always so considerate when it comes to us?"

He took a minute to consider it. He honestly wasn't sure why he was so different with this family. It probably wasn't any one reason but they had been a light in a very dark time in his life. Their mother had treated him as though he was her very own and he was a little sorry that he had always been rather distant and cold towards her. She never held it against him though and now years later he had kept his promise to himself. He would make sure she would have everything she needed to live out the remainder of her life with the daughters she had sacrificed so much for.

"Because you and your mom took care of me when no one else did. When I didn't _want_ anyone taking care of me. And for that I owe her more than I could probably ever repay." He said. Jenna could only blink and stare in surprise at the surprisingly rare emotional response.

"Just think of what losing you would do to your mom or your sister. You three are so close, don't let them lose you." He said. Jenna was one of the few people in the galaxy that knew how much he valued family. She felt herself losing her resolve, caving into him like she always seemed to do.

"Alright John. You win, as always. His name is Chellick and he should be here in a few minutes to check up on me. You can talk to him then, just try to be subtle." Jenna pleaded.

"No promises." He responded with a smirk and another wink. He laid down some credits to play for his drinks plus the healthy tip he always gave her before walking away to wait for her signal. She would give him a sign when she spotted Chellick. Jenna shook a=her head and laughed before going back to her work.

Shepard found Ashley and Kaidan arguing a few feet away. They must have flagged down a passing waiter because they were both nursing human beers, a rather common product in bars across the galaxy.

"Whatever you say Kaidan. I wanted to go to the bar to get a drink but nooo. You had to flag down the pretty Asari in the tight red dress instead." Ashley was saying.

"Don't you judge me Williams. I just didn't want to have to listen to you chat up the sexy bartender." He replied as Shepard walked up and joined them.

"Wow, sexy huh. Didn't think you swung that way Alenko." He said with a smirk. His comment drew a laugh from Ashley and caused said man's face to turn red.

"That's not…I don't…" He sputtered.

"Hey man you don't have to explain anything. I'm not judging." Shepard cut him off.

As Ashley continued to have some fun at the expense of the embarrassed marine. Shepard's attention was drawn away from them when he noticed a Krogan having some angry words with what looked to be a Krogan bouncer.

"Back off Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up." The bouncer was saying.

"What are you waiting for," the other Krogan, Wrex, responded, "I'm standing right here. This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it."

"He's not coming out Wrex. End of story." The Krogan bouncer was obviously annoyed now though he wasn't attacking like Krogan usually did when they got mad.

Wrex gave out a dark chuckle.

"This story's just beginning." He said before turning away and walking towards them. Or rather walking past them.

"Out of my way, humans. I have no quarrel with you." He said as he walked passed them. However he stopped to turn around and observe the tough looking male human he had just walked by. Shepard did not back down, returning the Krogan's aggressive stare with one of his own. Finally the Krogan gave out a short laugh and a slight nod of approval before turning away and leaving.

"What was that all about?" Kaidan asked.

""Who knows. Let's just try not to get caught in the middle of it." Ashley responded.

"But the middle is the most interesting place to be" Shepard said with a chuckle. "Non-sexually speaking of course. I'm not into that kind of thing."

His attention was drawn when Jenna gave him the signal. Looking towards the entrance he saw a drunken Turian stumbling through the entrance. A little curious for him to be drunk before he had even gotten to the bar.

Leaving his teammates with their questioning voices following him he moved through the crowd until he reached his target. Grasping the Turian by his arm on the way by, he dragged him back towards the exit, his captive giving a slight noise of surprise when he moved backwards rather than forwards like he had been intending.

Once Shepard had left the club he turned right and slammed the startled Turian into the wall, much like he had done with his teammates earlier that day but with much more force.

"Am I right to assume your Chellick, Jenna's contact at C-Sec." He asked the Turian.

"What…no…I don't know what you're talking about?" The Turian stuttered.

"Ooh, nice try." Shepard said. "The correct answer would have been 'who's Jenna'? Just for future reference. Now I'm only gonna say this once. Jenna is out. Whatever deal you have with her is over because she is going back to being a regular waitress at Flux. Are we clear?"

The Turian was clearly flustered, not prepared to deal with the angry human that could intimidate the most hardened C-Sec officer.

"Look, I don't know who you are or how you know about Jenna but don't think you can tell me what to do human." The officer said. Just who was this human that thought he could interfere with his investigation.

"I'll tell you who I am. My name is Commander John Shepard of the Systems Alliance. And just so you know I have friends on this station that can make your life a living hell so I'll repeat, whatever deal you have with Jenna is done. She walks." Shepard said with a growl. Usually when someone said they had friends in high places they're completely bullshitting but something about the human in front of him made Chellick feel like he wasn't lying.

"Look, I need Jenna to gather some information on a smuggler getting drugs through our security and onto the Citadel. If you want to get her out you can do me a favor. There's a Krogan arms dealer named Jax that's been distributing the product once it's here. I managed to set up a deal as a buyer. You go give him the money and get the product while I track him back to his supplier." Chellick offered.

"I don't think you underst…wait did you say Jax. I can save you some trouble there, he gets his product from a Salarian named Marik Krolen. He's a mover for the Eclipse, gets his product on Omega and moves it here." Shepard explained.

Chellick stared at him. He clearly wasn't expecting him to know that, though neither was Shepard. It was just lucky Marik worked out of Omega or Shepard would have no idea who he was.

"How do you know that?" Chellick asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Let's just say I have some inside information about Omega and leave it at that. So…we good?" Shepard asked.

It was clear Chellick wanted to ask him more but it seemed as though he was afraid to know the answer.

"Yea…you can tell Jenna she can go. I need to go get started on this lead, make sure he doesn't get away. Thanks Shepard."

After saying this the Turian left to return to his office. Shepard was now alone, listening to the muffled sound of music still detectable from the bar. Or at least it seemed like he was alone. Seeming to appear from the darkness was a beautiful Asari maiden coming his way.

"I must say I'm impressed." Shepard commented. "It's not easy to sneak up on me. What do you want?"

The Asari smiled a genuinely kind smile, one that soothed even his emotions.

"My name is Nelyna and I serve the Consort." The Asari said. "She sent me to try and soothe an old acquaintance of hers but seeing you handle that C-Sec agent has given me an idea. If you could talk to him and get him to stop speaking lies about the Consort I, and the Consort herself, would be most grateful."

Shepard almost couldn't stop himself from smirking. This was perfect, he didn't even need to seek her out. He should have enough time to sort out this problem and still make it to the hearing in time.

"Well I must say I'm intrigued." Shepard said. "I would be happy to help the Consort in her problem however I must ask for something in return. Should I complete this task I ask that she grant me an audience with her. I have something I would like to discuss with her."

He appeared to have caught Nelyna somewhat off guard though she recovered quickly. Still with that smile on her face she answered.

"Off course. I don't think that will be a problem. Should you accomplish this task just drop by the Consort's Chambers and I'm sure she will be happy to grant you an audience. The one you must talk to is a Turian by the name of Septimus, a retired general. He should be inside this establishment. Best of luck, may the Goddess be with you." She said in farewell.

Shepard watched her until she disappeared from his sight before going back into the bar. He needed to wrap this up quickly or he'd be late for his own hearing.

'Well, time to go to work' he thought.

 **Author's Note**

 **Sorry for the somewhat long wait between updates but I made this an extra-long chapter to try making up for it. Next chapter we'll see Shepard's first meeting with the Council and whether they'll be able to prove Saren's guilt.**

 **As you've no doubt noticed I have made some changes in how things happen when compared to the game. I plan to follow the plot of the game but there may be some differences in how I get from point A to point B.**

 **So as always Follow, Favorite, and Review. Your interest is what inspires me to update faster. Please be sure to comment and let me know what you're thinking. If it's positive great, if it's negative big deal. I'm not a kid, I know how to take criticism.**

 **Thanks everyone for reading. See you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

****Updated****

 **I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.**

 **Warning: Strong Language**

 **Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past**

 _The now infamous first trial of the traitor Saren Arterius has been heavily scrutinized and criticized by leadership across the galaxy. While the evidence was admittedly shoddy and prior to his involvement with the Geth, he was the most respected and accomplished Spectres of his time, to this day there is outrage on the lack of consideration the Council paid into looking into these claims. So much so that it is widely accepted as the bases for the Spectre review meeting, in which a Spectre is put up for review once every five years._

" _The crimes and Consequences of Saren Arterius", by Erin Frenters. Year 2246._

-Line Break-

Helping the Consort had proven to be much more time consuming than Shepard had originally thought it would. As it turned out, convincing Septimus to lay off had only been one part of the mission.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _(Flashback)_

"Are you serious?" Shepard deadpanned. "The reason you're talking shit about the Consort is because she didn't want to marry you?"

"You don't understand, human." Septimus replied. "During my years as a general I have seen the worst this galaxy has to offer. And through it all, the only thing that has helped sooth me has been Sha'ira."

Sha'ira was the name of the Consort, not exactly a secret but not widely known.

"Oh, suck it up", Shepard exclaimed, losing his patience. This had already been a very long day and he still had a meeting with the Council to suffer through. Shepard had become very good at hiding his emotions over the years, however he felt himself snap dealing with the love-struck Turian.

"So you fell for a woman that doesn't love you back", Shepard continued, "you really think you're the first one. At least she still lets you see her and who knows what else, that's more than most get. Do you really want to ruin all that and lose her completely?"

The general thought for a moment, a conflicted look coming across his face as he considered his two options.

"I…I can't lose her." He finally said with a sigh. "I'll take what I can get, even if she'll never give me what I really want. Thank you, Commander. I'm going to talk to her right now."

Setting his drink down Septimus rose to his feet and walked past Shepard towards the exit. When he got a few steps past the Commander his paused and turned back towards the human.

"Now that I think about it, I might be in need of your help human." Septimus addressed Shepard. "While I was still angry and bitter with the Consort I may have done something I shouldn't have."

Shepard sighed before responding to the Turian.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I leaked some rather sensitive information regarding the Elcor diplomat and told him it was Sha'ira." The general admitted, ashamed. "I knew he was a client of hers as well and everything said to her is meant to be confidential. I thought if she could no longer be the Consort she might accept my offer and be with me."

Shepard had to snort at that, despite the fact it meant more work for him.

'I will never understand the power jealousy has over people of all species.' He thought to himself.

"Alright, I'll deal with it." Shepard said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _(Present)_

After he left Chora's Den, Shepard and his team had run back over to the Citadel Embassies and found the Elcor diplomat in question. Thankfully Septimus had given him all the proof he needed to convince said diplomat of Sha'ira's innocence. Once they had left he peeked in to check on Anderson and Udina only to find both of them gone.

"Shit", he had said. "They must have already left for the Tower."

After that the three of them had sprinted through the Presidium and onto the elevator, which rose slowly into the Tower. The view would have been incredible if he wasn't so concerned with being late.

"Why are elevator's so fucking slow." He shouted, startling Ashley and Kaidan in the process. "I mean we can get anywhere in the galaxy in less than a day yet it takes ten freaking minutes to go up a few floors."

"It's probably supposed to build some kind of drama or something", Ashley said.

"Yet another reason why I hate politics", Shepard said with a snort of disdain. "Everything's a fucking production."

"Not a fan of the Council sir?" Kaidan asked. Shepard let out a laugh.

"I can respect what they're trying to do. It's a good dream, bringing all the races in the galaxy together in peace. But in doing so they are have become so afraid of action, so afraid for anything to change, they ignore chances to make a real difference."

The conversation was brought to an abrupt stop when the elevator finally reached its destination, doors opening onto the most impressive part of the Citadel. The top of Citadel Tower was as one might expect. Clean with hints of nature snuck in such as a fountain and several trees spread around. Diplomats and other such people of all races meandered around, talking to each other about this and that. Several sets of stairs separated by landing lead towards the giant windows on the far wall several hundred yards away.

"Wow, seeing this tower from the Normandy really didn't do justice to its size." Ashley breathed out in wonder.

"Yea, but it's not quite as big it looked from the Presidium", Kaidan commented.

"Yea, yea. We can look at the pretty building later", Shepard began, "but right now we need to get to the Council's meeting space."

Moving at a brisk pace the three humans set off up the first set of stairs. Once they reached the top they were met with the sight of two arguing Turians. They were both about the same height however were clad in two different colors. The one that appeared to be trying to appeal to the other wore a blue color while the other was in red. As usual the markings on their faces were different, both in design and color.

"Saren's hiding something", the blue clad Turian was saying, "give me more time. Stall them."

"Stall the Council?" The red one responded. "Don't be ridiculous, your investigation is over Garrus." After saying this the red clad Turian turned and walked away. The blue one, now identified as Garrus, let out a frustrated sigh before finally noticing the three humans. After a moment he approached them.

"Commander Shepard?" Garrus began. "Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

Shepard gave the Turian a quick once over.

"Who were you just talking to?" He asked.

"That was executor Pallin", Garrus explained, "head of Citadel Security. My boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council."

"Judging by what I just overheard I'm guessing your investigation didn't go well." Shepard said.

"You could say that", Garrus responded. "But I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. He's bad, I know it. I can, as you humans say, feel it in my gut. But he's a Spectre, everything he touches is classified. I couldn't find anything solid, nothing sticks."

"I think the Council's ready for us, Commander", Kaidan interrupted.

"Yea…well, nice meeting you and all but we've got to go", Shepard said.

"Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you", Garrus said in farewell.

Moving around the fountain the small group proceeded up the stairs and found themselves on another flat area, this one with a small assortment of plants in the center rather than the fountain they had seen on the previous level. As they were moving across the platform Shepard picked up the conversation between a Salarian and Turian Diplomat.

"Don't be ridiculous", the Salarian was saying. "The Volus won't be joining the Council for years."

"I'm not so sure", the Turian responded. "The humans are making a strong push and you can bet the Volus will be right on their coattails if they succeed."

"Allowing the humans to join is a sound strategic move, but the Volus?" The Salarian responded. "No, the Hanar are most likely to be the next. Then the Elcor."

Shepard paid them no mind and continued on his way. From here he could make out the form of Captain Anderson waiting for him on top of the stairs.

"The hearing's already started. Come on", Anderson said impatiently.

'Shit, I knew I was going to be late', He thought to himself.

Proceeding up the last couple steps he could hear the sounds of the meeting ahead of him. Once he reached the top he was able to see the Council's meeting chambers for the first time. Closest to him was a platform with Udina already standing on it. Across the room the Council stood at their platforms, all three standing straight and looking very regal. All around, about twenty feet off the ground, were balconies holding dozens of diplomats of all races observing the trial before them. Off to the left of the Council, in giant holographic form, was a Turian that Shepard could only assume was Saren. While him being twenty feet tall as a hologram enhanced his intimidating form Shepard could tell even at his regular height this was a Turian that could put fear into even the most hardened general. Beneath it all lay a silent cockiness, like he already knew he was going to get away with it. Shepard hated him immediately.

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern", the Asari Councilor was saying. "But there is nothing to indicate Saren was in any way involved."

After the Asari had finished speaking the Turian Councilor stepped in.

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your claim of treason", he said.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood", Udina argued.

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador", the Salarian Councilor answered. "The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling evidence."

Shepard had never been very fond of Salarians. They tended to be much too dependent on logic rather than what they feel. This often resulted in them coming across as utter dicks.

"I resent these accusations", Saren spoke. "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and a friend."

This was Shepard's first chance to hear the Turian speak. His voice did a good job wrapping up his whole badass Turian look. It was gravelly and intimidating, and somehow made Shepard hate him even more. Beside him he saw Anderson step forward and raise a pointed finger towards the Turian.

"That just let you catch him off guard." The Captain exclaimed.

Even as a hologram Shepard could see the obvious look of contempt Saren leveled at Anderson. It appeared as though the Turian Spectre knew Anderson somehow. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Saren spoke.

"Captain Anderson", he began. "You always seem to be involved whenever humanity makes false accusations against me. And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the Beacon get destroyed."

Shepard had had enough of hearing other people talk, though he often didn't mind staying silent and letting other people argue. But this had already been a long day and he was reaching the end of his rope.

"Ok first of all, I'm not his protégé", Shepard began. "Second, how would you know about the Beacon. That entire mission was supposed to be top secret."

"With Nihlus gone, his files passed on to me", Saren responded with the Turian equivalent of a smirk. "I read the Eden Prime report. I was unimpressed. But what can you expect from a human?"

Shepard leveled a disbelieving stare at the Council.

"Are you serious", he exclaimed. "We make an accusation regarding one of your agents and the first thing you do is turn over reports of what happened to the agent we just freaking accused."

"Be very careful how you speak Commander", the Asari Councilor responded in a warning tone. Shepard opened his mouth to continue but looking at the Asari he saw her give an almost imperceptible shake of her head. So, thinking better of it he took a deep breath and instead went back to addressing Saren.

"Insults…typical. Saren hates humanity and would have no problem attacking one of our colonies." He said instead.

"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard", the Turian responded. "You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres."

While Shepard refused to rise to Saren's obvious goading it seemed Udina did not have as much self-control. Strange considering he was an ambassador.

"He has no right to say that", Udina exclaimed angrily. "That's not his decision."

The Asari Councilor was quick to step in and try to placate the human ambassador.

"Shepard's Admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting", she said in her soothing voice.

Saren took this time to jump in with a comment of his own.

"This meeting has no purpose", he said. "The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And their wasting mine."

"Yea, laugh while you can asshole", Shepard said with a growl. "The Council's not going to protect you forever. And when they leave you on your own, I'm gonna be there to show you exactly how dangerous humans can be when you piss them off."

"Shepard", Anderson hissed silent enough for only them him and the other humans to hear, "that's enough. Don't jeopardize your candidacy any more than it already is."

"Let me make this clear commander", the Turian Councilor said. "If you should go after Saren the Council will order your arrest. That is _if_ Saren leaves you in one peace."

"Enough…all of you", the Salarian Councilor stepped in this time. "Let us not allow ourselves to be distracted. Now, thus far we have seen no evidence to prove that Saren was involved in any way in what happened to the human colony of Eden Prime."

"There is still one outstanding issue", Anderson said. "Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the Beacon."

As soon as he said it Shepard felt like putting his head in his hands.

'You idiot', Shepard thought. 'That just got rid of any credibility our accusation had remaining.'

Saren took that moment to jump in. It seemed he had seen the weakness the same as Shepard.

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now?" Saren asked disbelievingly. "How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"

It appeared this 'trial' was about to come to an end. The Turian Councilor made sure to follow Saren's lead and leap upon the opening his fellow Turian had created.

"I agree", the Councilor said. "Our judgment must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."

True to the Salarians neutral tendencies, the Councilor turned to Shepard for any more comments.

"Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?" He asked.

"You three have already made your decisions", Shepard began, "I won't waste my breath."

The Turian Councilor turned to the Asari and gave a slow, disapproving shake of his head. Shepard could tell the Turian was going to be problem going forward. He didn't know if he was just anti-human or pro-Turian.

"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the Geth", the Asari Councilor declared. "Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied."

"I'm glad to see justice was served", Saren said with that same smirk that Shepard wanted nothing more than to wipe of his face. Preferably with a shotgun. The hologram flickered off and he was gone.

"Now, since we are here we might as well discuss the commander", the Asari Councilor said. With a simple gesture the C-Sec agents in the area set to work clearing the immediate area of anyone and everyone. It appeared that they did not want everyone to know about Shepard's perspective candidacy to the Spectres, though Saren had hinted towards it. The entire process only took a few minutes, mostly because the watching Diplomats were very cooperative with C-Sec.

"Now, we are going to be discussing the results of Shepard's background check," the Asari continued. "We had one of our other Spectre agents, who shall remain nameless, check into it."

"The results of our search were very mixed", the Salarian continued. "You were born on Mindoir, a small human farming settlement in the Attican Traverse. You lived a simple life, the first of two children born into a simple farming family yet received attention from the Alliance military at an early age for your powerful biotic potential."

"Then came the day of the attack", this time the Turian jumped in. Like the other two he was reading off a screen that no doubt held the Spectre's report. "In the year 2167, when you were just 8 years old, a group of Batarian slavers attacked the colony. Those who weren't killed were taken prisoner and implanted with cranial implants that they used to control them. Your parents were confirmed as two of those killed."

"Somehow you were able to escape the initial onslaught and make it through the attack with your sister", the Salarian continued the story.

'What is this a freaking class read-along?' He thought.

"You were able to survive on your own for more than 15 hours waiting for Alliance Marines to breach the Batarian's defenses", the Salarian continued. "Eventually you were rescued and taken off world by the Alliance ship, the SSV Einstein, and it's executive commanding officer Hannah Shepard, no relation. You were onboard the ship for a week while it travelled to Earth to drop you off until relatives could be tracked down. During that week neither of you were very outgoing, in fact you didn't say a single word to anyone aboard the ship. However, it is reported your sister, Jane, grew somewhat close with Hannah."

"You however did not", the Asari jumped in. "You two were dropped off on Earth while the SSV Einstein went back to its previous mission. You and your sister were placed in an orphanage temporarily, however after a week it was discovered the two of you had no more living relatives. As such the two of you were officially put up for adoption."

'I really don't know why we're going through all this. It's nothing I don't know and nothing they don't know. I guess Kaidan and Ashley don't know but I doubt this is for their benefit.' He thought to himself.

"You, commander, were only at the orphanage for two months before you disappeared", The Turian said. "Not much is known about the case, only that you had an incident with another boy and disappeared later that night, by yourself. May I ask why you didn't take your sister with you?"

Shepard kept up his usual stoic demeaner however flinched on the inside. He had never doubted his decision that night, he knew he made the right choice. But that didn't mean it didn't affect him.

"I knew what I was getting myself into", Shepard explained after a moments pause. "It's not like I was going into some cushy home. Life at that place was tough, the whole place was cold, the food was scarce and what food we did get tasted like shit. I left so I could earn some money and give my sister a better life."

"Ah yes", the Salarian said, "it was reported that every week a hefty sum of credits would be transferred to the orphanage with instructions to give it to Ms. Jane Shepard. The first time the money showed up a staff member tried to keep it for himself. Less than a week later he was mugged and hospitalized. Was that you?"

"What?" Shepard asked, his voice laced with clearly fake shock. "Someone stole the money I sent to Jane? I had no idea. I'm just glad karma got him. Did that happen again do you know?"

All three Councilors stared at him with looks of disbelief however none commented on it. Instead the Asari moved on to their next findings.

"Anyway", she said, "that was the last time our agent was able to prove where you were. Your sister was adopted 1 year after you left by none other than Hannah Shepard. Her ship completed its mission and she went to check in on the two of you. Learning that you had disappeared she decided to adopt Jane, who was 5 years old at the time. And, legally, she also adopted you. Though you were never found until you signed on with the Alliance Military when you were 21 years old. Of course, you were no longer a child, and such were not sent to Hannah Shepard."

"In fact,", the Turian Councilor interrupted, "as far as we know you have not had any contact with either Hannah or Jane Shepard since you disappeared from that orphanage. Both have made several requests to be put in contact with you since hearing of your enlistment however have been denied each time. Would you like to explain why you have not made any attempts to contact them in nearly twenty years?"

"Maybe we don't get along", he said. Neither his voice nor his expression allowed those in the room to decipher what was going through his head. Again, not one of the Councilors believed him but did not press the matter.

"Now, during your time with the Alliance you have accomplished an impressive number of things," Valern, the Salarian Councilor said. "You were the youngest to ever earn your N7, the closest thing your species has to the Salarian's Special Tasks Group. After graduating you were a part of three very notable missions. The first was your defense of the human colony of Elysium in what your species calls the Skyllian Blitz. You were on shore leave celebrating your graduation from the N7 program with several other graduates when the group of pirates and mercenaries attacked the colony. The five of you defended the colony and rallied its defenses to hold off the attackers until Alliance reinforcements arrived to drive them back. During your defense three of your four teammates lost their lives. Your heroics earned you the name, the Lion of Elysium."

The Salarian stopped talking and looked at Shepard expectantly.

"If you're asking me something you'll need to be clearer than that", Shepard said irritately. "Yes, I was there. I wouldn't exactly call those people my friends, but they were good guys…and girl. I'm sorry they died but it's not like it broke me up."

"Moving on", Tevos, the Asari Councilor jumped in. "That was a defining moment in your career for two reasons. You were awarded the Star of Terra for your efforts on Elysium, however you were also put in charge of your own unit just a month later when the Alliance mounted a raid on the Batarian stronghold of Torfan in retaliation for the Skyllian Blitz. There you showed a more ruthless side. The original push failed so you led your unit deep underground, into the heart of their base. You threw your entire unit at the defenders, resulting in the deaths of about three quarters of your men. Your attack succeeded, you broke through their line and took the enemy base. However, you also ordered the killing of every single Batarian in that base, even the ones that surrendered. These actions earned you your second nickname, The Butcher of Torfan. My question to you is simple, do you think your actions were wrong?"

"I'm guessing your question is pertaining to my kill order", Shepard assumed. "It may have been a harsh decision, but the reality of the situation was things were bad. They may have surrendered but we were still moving through the base. There was no guarantee they wouldn't have come back after us after we had moved on. So, I made a call. Right or wrong I accept the consequences, and I don't regret it."

Kaidan and Ashley looked at the Council worriedly, but they didn't appear to be upset. In fact, they appeared to like his answer. Even Sparatus had a glimmer of respect in his eyes for the human standing before them. There appeared to be one question left, this one from the Salarian.

"There is one last mission that sticks out in your service history", Sparatus, the Turian Councilor said. "About a year and a half after the events on Torfan you were sent down to investigate a potential settlement effort on Akuze. The pioneer team humanity sent in was lost, you received no contact from them. You led a team of marines to investigate their disappearance. During your first night there, your unit was attacked by a group of Thresher Maws. Two days later the Alliance sent in several teams to investigate what happened to you and your team. You were the only surviving member. After you were lifted off the planet you spent a month on leave, attending several Alliance mandated psych profiles to determine you were ready to return to active duty. My question to you is this, why was it you survived when no one else on your squad was able to?"

"I survived because I had the strength to", Shepard responded. "Thresher Maws are one of, if not _the_ most, dangerous animal in the galaxy. Some tried fight, they died first. I got who I could, and we ran. Most didn't make it one hundred yards from the camp. Those who did spent the rest of the night running for our lives. As you can probably guess, I was the only one who won that race."

The Turian took a moment before nodding. Turians were taught from a young age to value their comrades. Sparatus probably didn't approve of his decision to save himself first but it was clear there was nothing Shepard could have done. Thresher Maws were no joke, if he had stayed and tried to fight he would have died to.

It appears Shepard had answered all their question because they took a moment to discuss things amongst themselves. This left the humans on the platform to wonder what they would decide regarding Shepard's, and ultimately humanity's future with the Spectres. Finally, they stepped back to their podiums and delivered their verdict.

"Commander Shepard", the Asari spoke, "it is the decision of the Council that you will continue to be evaluated for a potential space within the Spectres. Your mission on Eden Prime may have failed, however one of our best agents was killed on the same mission. You survived, showing us your skill and the strength of your resolve. You also managed to save the colony from the detonation devices the Geth planted in the main settlement. A noteworthy accomplishment. You will remain on the Citadel while we make arrangements for another Spectre to come work with you."

"This may be your chance commander", Sparatus said with a smirk. "According to our intelligence your sister is currently on shore leave here at the Citadel. She was last seen at Chora's Den a mere hour ago."

And with that the Council stepped away from their podium and left the room. Shepard stared straight ahead processing what the Turian had just said before turning and leaving the podium. Everyone was surprised when instead of stopping to talk to them he just stormed right by. He only stopped when Anderson called out to him.

"Shepard", Anderson called, "We need to talk about what just happened."

"Not a good time Anderson", he responded.

"That's Captain to you", Udina said angrily. "And what do you mean now's not a good time. Do you think just because you are a candidate for Spectre you can do whatever you want?"

"No", Shepard responded angrily. "I think I just heard that Turian bastard say my sister was on this station. And if he knows there is a good chance Saren knows as well. He probably already has agents headed towards her right now. Now Udina, I already don't like you. If you stand in my way of saving my sister I will go through you, career be damned. So, with all the respect I must show you, get the fuck out of my way."

Udina's face lit up in anger. He opened his mouth to say something that might very well have made Shepard punch him in the face and cost the commander his career, but Anderson put a stop to it. He grabbed the Ambassador's attention and shook his head, it just wasn't worth it. Udina shut his mouth and let it go, though he was far from happy about it. Before Shepard could leave Anderson gave him some advice.

"After your finished with that I recommend you track down that Garrus Vakarian", Anderson suggested. "He may have some potential leads on Saren. He's guilty…we just need to prove it."

"I have a contact in C-Sec that might be able to help", Udina said. "His name is Harkin."

"Forget it", Anderson responded. "He was suspended for drinking on the job again. Though if you really want to ask him, he's probably getting drunk down in Chora's Den. If you find him you could ask, though I doubt he'd be able to help.

Shepard gave a brief nod before he stormed off, followed by Ashley and Kaidan, who had to scramble to keep up with the commander's long strides.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took the three of them about twenty minutes to make it back to Chora's Den. Before they went in Shepard stopped his two teammates and gave them some last-minute orders.

"Alright, before we go in there are some things you need to know", he said. "Under no circumstances is my sister to know that I am here. We might have to wait a bit for Saren's men, if they come. If I see anyone that looks like they could be working for Saren I'll scratch the back of my neck with my left hand. If I scratch with my right hand, it just means I'm scratching. In the meantime, Kaidan you find Harkin and see if he knows where we can find Garrus. Clear?"

Both nodded though Ashley had a question for the commander.

"What do we do if you do spot some of Saren's men?" She asked. Shepard paused for a moment to think before he answered.

"I'll think of something. Now you two go in, I need to sneak in so Jane doesn't see me."

"Would she even be able to recognize you commander?" Kaidan asked.

"She may not have seen me in years, but she's almost assuredly seen a picture of me", he responded. "The Alliance has really been pushing me as what every recruit should strive to be. Pretty annoying, actually. Now go."

Kaidan and Ashley entered first. Shepard gave it to the count of twenty before entering himself. As soon as he was in he quickly went to the most crowded part of the bar, blending in with all the dancing customers. Moving to the bar he was allowed a good view of the room without leaving himself out in the open. And there she was, across the room he caught sight of a woman with shoulder length red hair. She was obviously fit, wearing semi-casual clothes typical of marines on shore leave. Shepard took a moment to observe her, she had turned into a beautiful young woman. This was the closest he had been to her in over a decade. He was incredibly proud of her, always keeping an eye on her to make sure she was alright. Just two years ago she had earned her own N7, though nowhere near the record time he did it in.

Time seemed to pass in a blur. Shepard alternated between watching her and keeping an eye on the other bar-goers. After about a half hour he was joined at the bar by Kaidan and Ashley.

"See anything yet?" She asked.

"No", he responded. "Find Harkin."

"Yes sir", Kaidan replied. "He was just as Anderson said, drunk. He was a total bum, though he did tell us where we could find Garrus."

"And where's that?" Shepard asked.

"He said Garrus has been hanging out around Dr. Michel's office", Kaidan answered. "She runs a clinic in the wards, right in the middle of that long hallway we were in before we headed to Flux."

Shepard thought for a minute before nodding.

"I think I know where that is. We'll wait a little longer, Jane is probably leaving soon anyways. I'll make sure she doesn't get jumped on her way back to her room and then we can go track down Garrus."

"Yes sir", they both answered.

Ashley followed Shepard's gaze and found herself looking at a pretty red head.

"Is that her, commander", She asked curiously.

"Yep", he responded, "that's my sister. Jane Shepard."

"Why don't you just go talk to her?" Kaidan asked.

Shepard shot him a glare so strong it made the hardened marine flinch before answering.

"It's too late", Shepard said, allowing a slight note of regret to show in his voice. "I don't want her in my world, there are too many things I want to keep her away from."

He could tell his teammates were still curious but wisely decided not to press the issue. They lapsed into another few minutes of silence before Shepard brought them back to attention.

"There they are", he breathed. The two followed his gaze to a pair of Turians sitting a little further down the bar.

"How do you know?" Ashley whispered under her breath.

"They've been glancing at her for the last fifteen minutes", Shepard answered. "That and they've been keeping those hidden blades handy."

Kaidan squinted his eyes and was just able to make out the slightest flash of metal. He didn't know how Shepard had picked up on that, but he wasn't going to question him.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"Just follow my lead", Shepard responded. Downing the last of his drink he set the glass on the counter and took a deep breath. Without so much as changing his facial expression he tapped a Turian on the shoulder and, when he turned around, drove his fist into the Turian's unsuspecting face. This cause said Turian to stumble backwards, straight into a Krogan who then spilled his drink. Turning with a roar the Krogan sent the Turian flying, slamming into another Turian who collided into another Turian. The half-drunk or completely drunk Turians then set to shoving each other. This caused them to hit more of the bars customers, who then started fighting as well. In less than two minutes Chora's Den evolved into a chaotic scene of fighting a violence.

Shepard turned towards his startled teammates and smile manically.

"Bar fight", he yelled over the noise. "Meet me at the clinic."

Kaidan opened his mouth to reply before a random human grabbed him from behind. Ashley move to help her teammate, delivering a swift right hook, dropping the drunk. From that point on they were part of the fight, though their combat training proved to work pretty well in the chaos.

Shepard moved through the crowd, expertly dodging and weaving his way towards his targets. They were also moving through the crowd, headed for his sister who, upon seeing the fight break out, was headed to the exit with her friends. Before they could reach her Shepard struck in the confusion. Slipping his knife from his pocket he drove it expertly into the first Turian's ribcage, dropping him before he even knew what hit him. He then turned his attention to the second, ripping his knife out of his first victim and, pivoting, drove the knife up through the Turian's throat.

With his two targets dead and everyone around too preoccupied with their own fights to notice, he slipped his knife back into his pocket and watched as his sister exited the club. Moving away from the bodies he was stopped on multiple occasions by random people of all ages looking for a fight. Needless to say, they did not last long.

The dancers on the ground floor had retreated into the safety of the back room while the ones dancing above the bar just stood and watched. This was hardly the first bar fight they had seen, nor would it be the last.

Once Shepard judged that enough time had passed he headed for the exit, slipping from the crowd and out into the hallway. Ashley and Kaidan were already there waiting for him. Ashley's clothes were torn in some places but otherwise looked fine. Kaidan had not been so lucky, he was sporting a busted lip and the beginnings of a black eye.

"With all due respect commander", Kaidan began, "what the fuck? That was so not cool."

"What's wrong lieutenant?" Shepard asked with a smirk. "Never been in a good old-fashioned barroom brawl?"

Ashley laughed while Kaidan just scowled. With a nudge of his head the three were on their way to find the doctor's clinic. They did not ask what had happened to the two would-be assassins. In all honesty they could guess but really didn't want to know.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Garrus peeked stealthily around the pillar he was currently using for cover. The sight that greeted him made his blood boil. A group of five human thugs were currently holding a middle-aged woman at gun point. From his position he managed to pick up their conversation with the terrified human.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear", the woman, Dr. Michel, was saying.

"That was smart doc", the head thug said. "Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart."

Just as Garrus was wondering how he was going to take these men out without harming Dr. Michel his answer came walking through the door. Turning to look at the door he was met with one of the last sights he was expecting. Coming into the office and reaching for their weapons as they took in the sight before them was Commander Shepard and his team. The lead thug quickly grabbed the doctor and put her between himself and the new arrivals.

"Who are you", the thug demanded.

Raising his weapon Shepard gave his signature smirk.

"Alright guys, this is gonna go one of two ways. Either you put your weapons down and get on the ground or I put a bullet through you and you still end up on the ground. I've had a really shitty day and to be honest kicking your asses is sounding really good right about now."

The thugs seemed to consider it for a second, the man in front of them gave off a very dangerous vibe. But ultimately their fear of their employer won out. In that second their fates were sealed.

Rising out of his cover Garrus aimed his pistol and put a single round through the head of the thug holding Dr. Michel. After that it was chaos. Shepard let out a _Throw_ that blasted one of the remaining four thugs into the air and slammed him against the wall at an incredible force. A resounding crack split through the air as the body slumped to the ground and was still.

Garrus rushed forwards to tackle Dr. Michel and bring her into cover. Kaidan and Ashely managed to take down two more. The remaining thug managed to make it to cover, where he quickly ducked and let off a couple shots, forcing Shepard and his team to duck behind cover. Peeking out of cover Shepard took a moment to gauge his biotics and found his cooldown period coming to an end. Rising out of cover Shepard switched to a shotgun and activated a _Barrier_. Moving forward he waited for the last remaining thug to leave his cover to look before firing a shotgun blast. His enemy was able to land a few shots, but his _Barrier_ was easily able to withstand them. He was not so lucky, as the single shot from his shotgun put him down for the count. Checking to make sure there wasn't anyone else hiding Garrus rose from cover and checked on the slightly traumatized doctor as Shepard approached him.

"Perfect timing Shepard", Garrus commented. "Gave me a clear shot at the bastard."

"Nice shooting there Garrus", Shepard responded with a smirk and a nod of approval. "Is everyone at C-Sec that good a shot."

"Hardly", Garrus said with a snort before turning again to the doctor. "Doctor Michel, are you alright?"

"I'm alright, thanks to you", she commented.

"Why were they threatening you?" Shepard asked. "Who were they working for?"

"They work for Fist", she responded. "They wanted to shut me up. Keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian."

"What Quarian?" Ashley asked.

"A few days ago, a Quarian came by my office", the doctor said. "She had been shot, but wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker, she wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to run. I put her in contact with Fist, he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

Shepard could see the looks of confusion on his teammates faces and mouthed that he would tell them later. In the meantime, Garrus was coming forward with a new piece of information.

"Not anymore", he said. "Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't very happy about it."

Dr. Michel looked shocked at the news.

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?" She said, disbelievingly. "That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer."

"That Quarian must have something Saren wants", Garrus guessed. "Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get. Not even he would willingly go against the Broker if he could in any way avoid it."

"What else can you tell me about the Quarian", Shepard asked.

"I'm not sure", Dr. Michel answered. "She was looking for a place to hide, she didn't…wait a minute. She mentioned something about the Geth."

"Of course,", Ashley exclaimed. "She must be able to link Saren to the Geth. There's no way the Council could ignore hard evidence."

"Sounds like it's time to go save a Quarian", Shepard said with a smile. "I think we need to go pay Fist a visit."

"This is your show Shepard", Garrus said. "But I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you."

"Well, judging by the way you took out that thug I'd say there are worse people to have around", Shepard commented. "Alright you're in. Just follow my orders, and anything I say to keep quiet about, well…you get the idea."

"No problem Shepard", Garrus responded. Finally, someone that was more interested in getting things done instead of focusing on getting things done right. "Just so that you know we aren't the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a Krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to bring him down."

"Yea…I think we ran into him at the bar", Kaidan commented.

"A Krogan could come in handy", Shepard said. "Maybe we should go talk to this Wrex."

"Last I heard he was at C-Sec Academy", Garrus said. "Fist accused him of making threats, so we brought him in for a little talk. If we hurry we can catch him before he leaves."

"Yea, well he wasn't very private about his intentions when we saw him", Shepard said. "He was telling Fist's bouncer right to his face what he was going to do. Sounds like my kind of guy…er, Krogan. Whatever."

Shepard gave that smirk again. The one that promised danger. Kaidan and Ashley were starting to recognize that particular smirk as a forewarning that he was probable about to do something stupid. Turning towards them he kept that smirk on his face as he said.

"Alright, let's go find us a Krogan."

 **Authors Note:**

 **Well, there it is. The next chapter. I am getting so tired of the Citadel but it's something I need to get through before I can really get into the heart of the story. Here we get a little peek into Shepard's past but don't worry. There's still so much to tell. As you can see I combined the Earthborn and Colonist backgrounds and included all the missions.**

 **I kept some of the dialogue the same but changed up a lot of it. If I just wanted to do the same thing as the game, well, that would be kinda boring. Also wouldn't be very creative. Next chapter I hope to get through the rest of the stuff still on the Citadel and set off into the galaxy. Expect the next update in the next week or two.**

 **Like, comment, and favorite. Got a lot of interest in the last chapter and see. Faster update. Chapter 3 double the views of the first two combined. Getting a good amount of likes and favorites but not many comments. Let's see if we can't get that up. If you have any question that I can answer or if you just wanna talk specify in the comments or send me a message.**

 **Until next, enjoy.**


	5. Chapter 5

****Updated****

 **I do not own Mass Effect or any of the character's. They belong to Bioware.**

 **Warning: Strong Language and Violence**

 **Chapter 5: A True Bar Fight**

 _Of all the things Commander Shepard is known for, perhaps the most underrated aspect of his success was his ability to build a team. When you look back over the individuals he gathered, males and females of every specie imaginable. And with each individual came the problems their specie brought with them._

 _Looking specifically at Shepard's first team, you can see 2 prime examples in the Turian and Krogan teammates Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex. Reports from former crew members of the SSV Normandy have noted the initial hostility between the two, as well as the rapid improvement said hostilities._

" _The Shepard; Book Two, Hunt for Saren" by Alex Hunter. Year 2208._

-Line Break-

It turns out recruiting a pissed off Krogan is easier than it sounds. Spending hours being detained by C-Sec tends to do that to anyone, regardless of race. Thankfully they didn't need to do any convincing, they were already letting Wrex go when they arrived. Learning that they were going after Fist as well, the Krogan and human had come to an arrangement. Shepard would get to interrogate him first, then Wrex could do whatever he wanted with him.

Ashley and Kaidan had wanted to protest but a quick look from Shepard had silenced them. They may not like it, but they were getting used to the way he worked. Garrus was a Turian, they were a highly militarized species and more accustomed to making hard decisions. Even still, he could tell Garrus was hesitant about this deal. He just hoped the Turian wasn't one of the ones set on law and order, something he had spent the majority of his life ignoring.

Once more standing in that familiar hallway leading to Chora's Den he watched his new team get their weapons ready. He may not know anything about Fist but Garrus had assured him he was not the kind of guy to just let them walk through the door. They were getting ready for a fight and the only person more excited than Shepard was Wrex.

Said Krogan was currently checking over his shotgun and chuckling under his breath. There was a feral light in his eyes Shepard had often seen in the mirror when he was younger and getting ready for a mission. Since those days he had mellowed out some and gotten a lot better at concealing his emotions.

Garrus appeared to be going with his standard issue C-Sec pistol and that single eye screen over his right eye. Ashley and Kaidan were both going with their assault rifles. Unfortunately, all of them had left their helmets on the Normandy so the danger of headshots was much higher.

"Alright so let's go over the plan when we get in there", Shepard said. "Garrus, find cover and start taking out the guards farthest away. Ashley, you and Kaidan will be laying down covering fire. Keep them from advancing and keep them in cover. Wrex, you and I are the vanguards in this fight. We'll be getting in close and taking them out so Ashley and Kaidan can advance. Once we get to Fist I need him alive, so he can tell me where the Quarian is. After that he's all yours. Everyone understand?"

Looking around he received a series of head nods and "yes sirs" from Kaidan, Ashley, and Garrus. Grunt remained silent with that excited gleam still in his eyes.

"Alright then", Shepard continued. "Knock knock, time to see who's home."

The group moved forward and activated the doors motion sensor, causing it to slide open with the usual 'hiss'. There was a brief moment of pause that they used to rush forward before the shooting started. Garrus remained by the door, not entering the room but using the wall as cover. The remaining four rushed forwards, Kaidan and Wrex both using a biotic _Throw_ on the guard behind the bar. He was swiftly launched backwards and crashed into the wall area behind him.

While they took care of him Shepard was dealing with the next target. Letting out a burst from his assault rifle he downed the next closest target before ducking behind cover. Once they had a firm foothold inside the bar they organized into the waves Shepard had prepared beforehand. Garrus downed several by himself thanks to his pinpoint accuracy on long range shots. Kaidan and Ashely kept most guards in cover while Shepard and Wrex advanced. Those that dared to rise from cover and risk a few shots found themselves on the wrong end of a hail of gunfire. Once Shepard and Wrex got close enough they used their biotics and weapons to devastate the nearest person. In a few minutes there were only a handful of enemies left, only a quarter of the forces they started with. Unfortunately, one of those five was a Krogan.

Wrex did not seem concerned about the Krogan bouncer he had been arguing with earlier that very same day. Giving out a roar, Wrex charged the other Krogan, who matched his roar as he too charged forwards. The two mighty aliens met with a monstrous crash. Shepard saw one of Fist's men trying to get a shot off against Wrex, so he quickly rose up and activated a _Pull_. Rather than launching his target like a _Throw_ would he instead dragged his target through the air towards him. Once his target was close enough he sent out a single blast from his shotgun to put down his enemy. Hearing a loud crack he had come to associate with Garrus's sniper rifle he saw another one of Fist's men go down. Off to his left he heard a round of weapon's fire he glanced over to see Kaidan and Ashley had circled around and were working to flank the enemy.

Another two seconds and two more of the remaining guards were down, leaving only the Krogan, Wrex was tangling with. It was a simple battle of strength, both Krogan locked together and working to push the other down to the ground. It seemed that as inept as Fist's other guards had been the Krogan was the exception. He knew exactly what he was doing and was more than capable as a fighter. Yet as good as he was it was Wrex that was displaying his overwhelming strength. He was slowly but surely overpowering his foe, forcing him onto his knees. Wrex grinned triumphantly as he continued to push down the Krogan before a shotgun went off and Fist's last line of defense went slack. Turning away from the body Wrex noted Shepard pumping his shotgun and getting it ready for another shot.

"Sorry but we don't have all day", Shepard said. "Besides, I think you had him beat."

Wrex kept his glare as he responded to the commander.

"Never steal a Krogan's kill", he said. "Don't you know that Shepard?"

"You get to kill Fist", he responded. "That should be more than enough."

Wrex was obviously still angry but let it go so they could keep moving forwards. Opening the door to the back room they were met with the sight of three regular looking men pointing pistols at them. Unlike the guards they had just dispatched, these men were clearly no thugs. The way they held their weapons, too tightly with shaky hands, showed that they probably did not have much, if any, experience with weapons before now.

"S-Stop, or we'll shoot", one of the men stuttered in an obviously false bravado.

"Dock workers", Garrus guessed, "we must have taken out all of Fist's real forces."

Shepard nodded his agreement with his assessment. Turning back towards them he once more regarded them with a thoughtful look. He was far from gun-shy, some would go so far as to call him trigger-happy, but this was not a fight he wanted. These men weren't like the ones now laying dead in the main room, they had probably never done anything wrong. This was a job for them, and on the Wards, you took work where you could find it. Being involved in a fire-fight was most likely not in the job description.

"Are you sure you want to get involved?" Shepard asked them, using that dark threatening voice that was so common when he was in a fight. "Look at what we just did to all the men in the other room. And they were real killers, how do you expect to stop us?"

At this the three looked at each other, doubt clear on their faces. Seeing their weakness Shepard made one last push to resolve this peacefully. He wasn't worried about himself or his team, but he had a shot to spare two innocent people and he wanted to take it.

"Leave now and we never saw you", Shepard said. "Stay, and you join the body count in my inevitable report."

Any doubt that was on their faces was erased. The three shared a look and seemed to come to an executive decision. Laying down their weapons the three shuffled past the Commander and his team and making for the exit.

"Smart choice", Shepard said.

Once the dock workers had left Shepard moved through the door to enter another small hallway. There was only one other direction he could go, he assumed it led to Fist's office.

'That last door was a little unnecessary wasn't it?' He thought to himself.

Before he opened the door he glanced back at his team to ensure they were ready for whatever might be on the other side. He was met with nothing but determined looks. Nodding his head he used his Omni-tool to activate the door. The door slid open with a hiss and the party entered Fist's office. There was a short section of wall to his left before it dropped off and the room opened. As soon as he was clear of the wall he was met with the sight of twin turrets, one on each side of the room. Diving back behind the wall for cover he heard the explosion of shots echo behind him.

Looking back to his team he signaled Garrus and Wrex to make their way across the room to use the other side of the rooms wall as cover. It may have been a risk but he was confident their shields would hold up enough well enough for them to make it. Nodding their heads in confirmation they broke from cover and raced across the room, even getting of a couple shots at the turret on the right as they ran. Once he was sure they had made it safely to cover he too left and ran to the middle of the room. Once there he upended a table that was conveniently laying there, creating his very own cover and giving Kaidan and Ashley a little more room to work.

From their it was a simple act of switching shooters and targeting the turret closest to them. Shepard's two teams were working well together, not surprising in the case of Kaidan and Ashley but very surprising in the case of Garrus and Wrex. The Krogan were still pissed at the Turians for the Genophage and the Turians were still mad about the war in the first place.

'Thank God for common enemies' Shepard thought in relief.

The two teams had worked out a good system. One member of each team would step out of cover and unload into one of the turrets. Once their weapon was overheated or their shields depleted they would duck back behind their wall and the other would take their place. This produced an almost constant stream of fire, with Shepard supplementing. He would rise from cover, pick a target and put a few shots into them before ducking back down.

Though most had been working together for a matter of hours somewhere along the way they had become an efficient, deadly team. He could honestly say they were the most competent and complete team he had ever gotten to work with. In a matter of minutes they had taken out the two turrets and Shepard was standing over a cowering Fist, looking anything but like the crime lord he was.

"Wait", he pleaded, "don't kill me. I surrender."

Shepard pointed his pistol at Fist's head and leveled him with his most intimidating glare.

"Then start talking", Shepard said. "Where is the Quarian?"

"She's not here", Fist said. "I don't know where she is, that's the truth."

With a quick flick of the wrist Shepard smashed the butt of his pistol into the man's head. Fist fell off his knees and laid out on the ground, clutching his head in pain. While he may have been trying to relieve the pain in some way he unknowingly opened himself up to even more. Smirking Shepard lowered his pistol's aim and fired into the man's leg. Screeching in pain he now clutched the injured leg. Losing patience Shepard ripped his arm away and kneeled on the open wound.

"I told you I don't know where she is", Fist sobbed.

"Well I didn't like your answer", Shepard responded. "So how about you keep talking before I aim a little higher and more centered."

"Alright, alright", Fist said. "I don't know where she is now, but I know where she'll be."

"Keep talking", Shepard said.

"The Quarian said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself", Fist explained. His face was still tight with pain, it wasn't helping that Shepard was still applying force to his injury.

Wrex gave out a snort of disbelief.

"Impossible", the Krogan said, "no one meets with the Shadow Broker. Even I was hired through an agent."

"But she didn't know that", Fist said. "So I told her I'd set up a meeting. Only it won't be the Shadow Broker waiting for her, it'll be Saren's men. You can still save her. The meetings happening in a few minutes, in a back alley by the markets right here on the Wards."

Shepard searched his face for any trace of deceit. Finding none he nodded and finally got up off his leg. Fist sighed in relief and clutched his injured leg while Shepard talked to his tea.

"Wow Shepard", Wrex said, "you got a quad. I didn't think humans could be so ruthless."

"Stick around Wrex, you might learn something", Shepard responded.

"That Quarian's dead if we don't go now", Garrus said.

"You're right", Shepard replied. "But first, Wrex…make it fast."

Said Krogan grinned at Shepard before taking out his shotgun and moving over towards the still downed crime boss. The human looked up at the approaching monster in fear and tried to plead with the commander.

"Please Shepard, I told you everything I know. I cooperated."

"Yes you did", Shepard acknowledged. "Which is why I'm not killing you. Wrex however, well he has a job to do. And since he is not part of the Alliance I have no control over him. You're an asshole Fist, and when you spend years pissing people off eventually someone's going to get you. Goodbye Fist."

Shepard turned his back and ignored any more pleas coming from the downed man. He did not even react when the loud blast of a shotgun filled the room and the pleas stopped. Without turning he addressed the Krogan.

"All set?"

"I'm good Shepard", Wrex replied.

"Then let's move."

-Line Break-

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya had been having a really shitty day. At first she had been thrilled having been able to retrieve information from the Geth yesterday. Who'd have thought, Geth outside the Veil? Things had quickly taken a turn for the worst. Whoever this person she had found a voice recording of was, he was clearly powerful. It had quickly become clear she had unearthed something she should never have found.

She knew her only hope was to trade the information for safety, and the Shadow Broker was he best chance at that. She was very grateful to the kind human doctor that had patched her up and told her how to get in contact with the Broker. She had set up a deal with Fist, one of the Broker's agents and he had set up a meeting. However, when she arrived she found herself facing a dangerous looking Turians and a pair of security mechs. Something told her this Turian was not the Shadow Broker, putting an uneasy feeling in her gut.

"I told Fist I would only deal with the Shadow Broker", she said sternly. "Where is he?"

"Don't worry, he'll be here", one of the Turians said in what she assumed was meant to be a reassuring tone. If anything, it just served to reaffirm her suspicions that something was wrong. "Now why don't you show me this evidence you want to turn over."

As if the couldn't get any creepier he actually reached out a clawed hand and stroked her faceplate. Feeling her anger bubble over she slapped his hand away and stepped by him.

"Forget it, the deals off."

As she went to leave the Turian grabbed onto her arm and turned her back.

"I don't think so", the Turian growled. "Why don't you give me the information and maybe I'll let you live."

They were interrupted by the sounds of someone approaching and shouting out. Tali didn't waste time looking to see who it was. Shaking the Turian off she threw a grenade and ran for cover behind one of the crates. She heard the resulting explosion and the signs of shooting but she didn't rise from cover. Drawing her pistol she waited to see what would happen. After a few moments the shooting stopped and she risked a peek around the crate. What she saw was a human male standing over the body of the downed Turian. Standing behind him was two more humans, one male one female as well as a Krogan and Turian. Deciding that they weren't here to kill he she stood up and went over to them.

"Fist set me up", she exclaimed angrily. "I knew I couldn't trust him."

"You don't have to worry about him anymore", the lead human said. "Were you hurt?" She thought she detected a trace of concern in his voice but she couldn't be sure.

"I know how to look after myself", she responded, "not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you?"

"My name's Shepard", the human responded. "And I think you have something I need. I'm looking for evidence against a rogue Spectre named Saren and I think you have it."

'He must mean the voice I got from the Geth recording' she thought.

"Well then, I guess I have a chance to repay you for saving my life", she said. "But not here, we have to go somewhere safe. I've had more than enough people trying to kill me today."

"We could take her to the Human Embassy", Garrus suggested. Shepard nodded in agreement.

"Good idea", Shepard agreed. "Udina and Anderson are going to want to see this anyways."

-Line Break-

Shepard could tell Udina was pissed the second he entered the room, no matter that the ambassador had his back turned.

"You're not making my life easy Shepard", Udina complained. "Firefights in the Wards, an all-out assault on Chora's Den. Do you have any idea…" Udina trailed off as he noticed the aliens that had arrived with him. "Who's this?"

Shepard nodded towards each one as he introduced them.

"The Krogan is Wrex, a bounty hunter who shared a similar interest as us. Garrus you know, he was the C-Sec agent investigating Saren. And this is…I'm sorry I never got your name. Anyway, she has information linking Saren to the Geth."

"Really", Udina said, his tone changing immediately. He was, dare he say it, friendly. "Why don't you start from the beginning miss…"

"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya", she explained.

"We don't see many Quarians here", Anderson commented. "Why did you leave the Flotilla?"

"I was on my Pilgrimage", she explained, "my right of passage into adulthood."

"I've never heard of that before", Kaidan commented.

"It is a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity we leave the ships of our parents and venture out into the galaxy. We search the stars, only returning when we have discovered something of value. In this way we prove ourselves worthy of adulthood. It was in my search for something that I came across a group of Geth outside the Veil. I waited for one to separate, then I took it down and accessed its memory core."

"I thought the Geth wiped their memory banks when you try to access them?" Shepard asked.

"They do, but my people created the Geth. If you are fast, careful, and lucky small caches of data can be recovered. In this instance, I recovered an audio bank that might have some interest to you."

Tali activated her Omni-tool and brought up the file in question. The scratchy, smug voice of Saren filled the air.

" _Eden Prime was a major victory. The Beacon has brought us one step closer to the Conduit."_

"That's Saren's voice", Anderson commented. "This proves he was involved in the attack."

'Well, now we have a firm grasp of the obvious.' Shepard thought.

"He said Eden Prime brought him one step closer to finding the Conduit", Kaidan commented. "Any idea what that means?"

"The Conduit has got to have something to do with the Beacon", Anderson responded. "It may be some kind of Prothean technology…like a weapon."

"Wait, there's more", Tali interrupted. "Saren wasn't alone."

Tali activated her Omni-tool again and the message played once again.

" _Eden Prime was a major victory. The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_

Then the new voice cut in, this one unmistakingly female.

" _And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."_

Everyone in the room looked at each other, looking to see if anyone had any idea what to make of this new information.

"I don't recognize the other voice, the one talking about Reapers", Udina commented.

"Are they some kind of new alien species?" Ashley asked.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago. The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction and then they vanished. At least, that's what the Geth believe."

"Sounds a little far-fetched", Udina commented.

"Maybe not", Shepard jumped in. "The Geth have spent centuries behind the Veil, an area Council species won't even go. We have no idea what they could have found in there during that time."

"Shepard…your vision", Anderson said excitedly. "You said you saw machines murdering organics. Maybe you saw an image of the Reapers wiping out the Protheans."

"The Geth revere the Reapers as gods", Tali responded, "the pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back."

"The Council is just going to love this", Udina said with a shake of his head.

"Then don't tell them", Shepard said. "They'll never believe it anyways. They'll deny it just out of fear alone."

"No matter what they think about the Reapers, those files prove that Saren's a traitor", Anderson said, once more bringing the discussion back to the rogue Spectre. Shepard was beginning to think he had an unhealthy obsession with that Turian.

"The Captain's right", Udina agreed. "We need to present those files to the Council right away."

"What about her?" Ashley asked pointing to the Quarian.

"My name is Tali", she said in annoyance. Shepard chuckled, she had fire. He was starting to like her. "You saw me in the alley commander, you know what I can do. Let me come with you."

"I thought you were on your Pilgrimage", Shepard asked. "Why would you want to come with us?"

"The Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good", Tali explained. "What does it say about me if I turn my back on this. Not to mention the information I might gain on the Geth to take back to my people."

"Well, if you want to sign up to fight Geth, who am I to say no", Shepard commented. Anderson had a frown on his face. Sure, Shepard was his second in command as XO but the final decisions regarding things such as a ship's crew should be made by the Captain. He wasn't sure he liked Shepard making decisions without consulting him first. He knew the commander had a problem with authority, that was well documented. He had never regarded it as a major problem because Shepard always got the job done. But now that he had to deal with it, he was starting to understand the complaints he had heard.

"Thanks", Tali responded. "You won't regret this." After saying this Tali moved over and took a spot standing by standing by Shepard.

"Anderson and I will go ahead and get things ready with the Council", Udina said. "Take a few minutes then meet us at Citadel Tower. Should only be a half-hour or so."

Udina and Anderson went over to the terminal message the Council about the new information. Shepard turned to his team and shrugged before asking.

"Anyone up for a drink?"

-Line Break-

For the second time that day, or not that day since it was after midnight, Shepard found himself late to a meeting with three of the most powerful individuals in the galaxy. He had spent the time downing different kinds of alcohol with perhaps the most diverse team the Citadel had ever seen. Garrus and Kaidan, as it turned out, got along great. They were both really into modifying and caring for their own weapons. They spent most of the time debating which mods would best improve the performance of a Level 4 Avenger. Tali and Ashley seemed to have struck up a conversation though he was too far away to hear what they were talking about. Shepard had found himself talking to Wrex about some of the things they had seen and jobs Wrex had pulled. The way the Krogan talked made it seem as though he wanted to join them in their fight as well. Jenna and Rita had insisted on serving them, even going so far as to buy a few of Shepard's drinks. Only Shepard though. They had been having such a good time they had lost track of how long they had been there, hence them once again being late.

The strange group rode the elevator headed towards the top of Citadel Tower. This trip was so different from Shepard's previous one. The elevator was still just as slow, which Shepard still thought was ridiculous, but the company made the ride so much more interesting. Several people had switched partners, Wrex now talking with Kaidan while Garrus spoke with Ashley, leaving Shepard to speak with the newest member of his team. He was enjoying learning more about Quarian life and culture, and Tali was interesting too. One thing that hadn't changed from his days as a kid, he enjoyed learning new things. Plus, he couldn't help but be curious about the young woman underneath the helmet.

Once more the doors opened to the familiar stairs leading up to the Council's Chamber. Familiar for some, but for Wrex and Tali this was their first time being here. Wrex kept his usual non-caring expression Shepard was beginning to place as him concealing his emotions. He may not have been able to see her face but Shepard was still able to identify the obvious awe in the Quarian as she beheld the impressive sight.

The group proceeded up the stairs and across the two levels. Once more Anderson was waiting for them at the bottom of the last set of stairs before they reached the Council. He didn't seem to be mad, despite their tardiness. Nor was he angry the first time they were late to the meeting.

"Udina is presenting the Quarian's evidence to the Council", Anderson said.

Walking up the stairs Shepard heard the familiar sound of Tali's audio file being played. Just as he stepped onto that podium behind the Ambassador the file ended, and he looked at the faces of the Council. The Salarian and Asari Councilors were doing a good job of guarding their expressions. Shepard had to imagined they were surprised but they gave no sign of it. The Turian Councilor was not managing as well. There was shame and embarrassment written all over his face as he stood there digesting the irrefutable evidence. Sparatus had been very open in his defense of Saren. The proof of his betrayal made him look bad in multiple aspects. It showed the Turians were not as perfect as they liked to say they were, and Sparatus had been one of the loudest supporters.

"You wanted proof", Udina said smugly, "there it is."

"This evidence is irrefutable", Sparatus said resignly. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status, and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

"I recognize the other voice", Tevos said, "the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia."

"Who's she?" Shepard asked.

"Matriarchs are powerful Asari who have entered the final stage of their lives", Tevos explained. "Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides for my people. Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic, she had many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren."

"I'm more interested in the Reapers", Valern jumped into the conversation. "What do we know about them?"

"Only what was extracted from the Geth's memory core", Anderson responded. "The Reapers were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then they vanished."

"The Geth believe the Reapers are gods", Shepard commented. "And Saren is the prophet for their return."

"We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back", Anderson said. "Saren's searching for it, that's why he attacked Eden Prime."

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" Valern asked.

"Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers, that's bad enough", Shepard responded.

"Listen to what your saying", Sparatus interrupted. "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible, it has to be. Where did the Reapers go? Why'd they vanish? And why haven't we found any evidence of their existence? If they were real we would have found something."

"Just because you don't want something to be true doesn't mean it isn't", Shepard commented with a mocking tone. "Shouldn't you have learned that with Saren."

The Turian Councilor glared at him, hate clearly evident in his eyes. He turned to the Asari to his left only to find her eyes shining with concealed laughter.

"You already doubted me once when I tried to tell you Saren was a traitor", Shepard continued. "How many times do I have to prove you wrong before you start trusting me?"

"This is different", Tevos said. "You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he is using the Geth to search for the Conduit, but we don't really know why."

"The Reapers are obviously just a myth", Valern said. "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose, a lie he is using to bend the Geth to his will."

"Or so you hope."

The voice was unmistakable but seemed to come from nowhere. As everyone looked around and searched for the owner, the holographic projector came to life and a smug looking Turian was once more in full view of the room.

"Saren", Anderson snarled angrily. "We've proven what you did, there won't be a place left for you to hide."

While he spoke, Shepard turned and ordered his team to track down where the signal was coming from. Tali spent a few seconds tapping on her Omni-tool then raced off with the rest if his team to track down her lead. Shepard turned back to watch as the former Spectre responded to Anderson's declaration.

"So, you really think you've won?" Saren asked smugly. "Being disbarred from the Spectres has merely been a minor setback. You can not stop what is coming, nor can you stop me. Who could you send that would stand a chance against me."

The Council members all looked at each other, doubt clearly visible on their faces. There was a reason Saren was their best agent. There was no one else in the Spectres that they could send against him, the closest thing they had was Nihlus and Saren had already taken him out of the equation. They could always send multiple Spectres after him but that wasn't a favorable option either. Spectres may be the best agents in the galaxy but they generally did not play well with others. Any team they sent after him had just as good a chance of killing themselves as getting killed by Saren or his Geth. With nowhere left to turn they were willing to latch on to any potential savior they could find. And lucky for them that savior was standing right in front of them, ready to announce himself.

"Send me."

Every head in the room turned to look at the confidant looking human standing tall and proud before the Council. One by one he met the gazes of the most powerful people in the galaxy, daring them to find a better alternative. He had already proven he had the ability to beat the Turian by uncovering evidence of his treachery.

"I can find Saren and bring him down", Shepard continued. "Send me after him and I'll stop his plans, whatever they might be."

The Turian in question laughed at the declaration.

"You're not seriously considering sending a human against me, are you?" He asked, disbelief clear in his voice. "I've already proven he's no match for me on Eden Prime. Are you seriously going to put the safety of the galaxy in his hands?"

"This shouldn't be left to one person to handle", Udina interrupted. "You know Saren's hiding somewhere in the Traverse, send your fleet in."

"They won't risk open war with the Terminus Systems for a few dozen human colonies", Saren responded with a knowing grin. "Sending in their fleets is not even a possibility. They're predictable…that's why they will never be able to stop me."

Tevos, the Asari Councilor had heard enough. A cold look of resolve came over her face as she stepped up to deliver her own opinion.

"In case you have forgotten Saren, Shepard may not have defeated you on Eden Prime but neither did you defeat him. You may have gotten to the Beacon first, but he still got there. I doubt you had anything to do with it's destruction. You obviously intended for it to be destroyed in the blast alongside the rest of the colony. Perhaps Shepard is the right man for the job."

Sparatus looked over at his fellow Council member with a look that mixed disbelief and confusion.

'She can't possibly be thinking what I think she is. Can she?' He thought.

One hard look from the Asari confirmed that, yes. That was exactly what she was thinking. Turning his gaze to Valern he hoped to find him about to oppose this idea as well, but he would find no support there. He couldn't be the only one opposing it, not after how wrong he had been in regards to Saren just yesterday. Giving a resigned nod of his head, he locked in his approval for what was to come.

"Commander John Shepard, step forward please", Tevos said. "It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

"Spectres aren't trained, but chosen" Valern continued. "Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above their rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal", Tevos cut back in, "a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden", this time it was Sparatus to cut in. "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first human Spectre commander", Tevos congratulated. "This is a great accomplishment for your entire species."

"Fools", came Saren's irritated hiss as he disconnected the image. So many things had happened many had forgotten he was even there, an impressive feet considering he was at the time a thirty foot tall hologram.

Behind him he heard the sounds of his team coming back. Glancing behind him he saw Tali give a dejected shake of her head. Apparently they weren't able to find anything as to how Saren bypassed the security protocols or where the call was coming from.

'Oh well, it's not like I really expected them to find something. Not like I really need to ask but might as well anyway…' he thought to himself.

"What's my first mission?" Shepard asked.

"We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren", Valern responded. "He is a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."

'And that's why I wanted to become a Spectre' he thought to himself gleefully. 'No one telling me how I need to do things. Just give me a mission and stay the fuck out of my way.'

"Any leads on how I might find him?" Shepard asked.

"We will forward any relevant files to Ambassador Udina", Sparatus responded. Shepard wasn't so sure he liked that answer. Normally Spectres get their intel directly from the Council, regardless of their race. The fact that any information would go through Udina reminded him that while he may be a Spectre he still didn't have their trust. It wouldn't take much before he was thrown away as a failure, further demoting humanity in the eyes of the galaxy.

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned." Tevos said in farewell. With that all three members of the Council left their podiums and exited the room, probably headed back to their offices to prepare for the next point of business. As she was leaving the podium Shepard quickly caught Tevos' eye. It was only a moment, but he was able to pass along his message before she turned away and left. Unfortunately for him it seems Ashley was more observant than he gave her credit for.

"What was that?" She asked suspiciously. Shepard was momentarily surprised that she was able to pick up on that however he did not let it show, recovering quickly and feigning ignorance.

"What was what?" He asked.

"That look you just gave the Asari Councilor", she responded.

"What look?" He asked again, still with that confused look and sound to his voice. Say what you will about him, if he ever retired from the Alliance he could probably go into making vids. It was good enough to make Williams stop her interrogation and question whether she actually saw anything.

'I'm going to have to be more careful' Shepard thought to himself. 'Williams could end up being a problem otherwise.'

Leaving the stage Shepard saw Anderson and Udina already speaking to each other on the level between sets of stairs. The men looked up at him as he approached, Anderson moving forward to congratulate him first.

"Congratulations Commander", the Captain said.

Anderson may not be Shepard's favorite person, his problem with authority made sure of that. Still, he could respect the man. When he had been a guest instructor at Shepard's institute he had been much more easy going than all the other instructors. He may have called Shepard out on his shit but he didn't flip out over it.

"We've got a lot of work to do", Udina said thoughtfully. "You'll need a ship, crew, supplies…"

"You'll get access to special equipment and training", Anderson cut in. "You should stop by C-Sec Academy and check in with the Spectre requisitions officer."

"Anderson", Udina said, "come with me. I'll need your help to set all this up."

The two men left, leaving Shepard with the five people he had been working with.

"I thought he would be a little more grateful", Tali wondered.

"He's a politician", Shepard said as an explanation. "A pre-requisite for the job is forgetting how to say thank you."

This generated a small round of laughter from the group. Now Shepard needed to speak with them about their thoughts moving forward. As a Spectre he would be getting command of his own ship, meaning he could choose his own crew. Every being in front of him had proven themselves capable in combat, though he still had some doubt regarding Tali. He wouldn't mind taking them with him but that was their choice. Well, all except Kaidan and Ashley. That decision lay in the hands of Udina and Anderson.

"Alright everyone", Shepard said, calling their attention back to him. "From here on out each of you have a decision to make. Alenko…Williams, this decision lies in the hands of Anderson, so you can ignore this. Each of you have proven yourselves capable and more importantly, I can tolerate you. It would be cool to have you join me on my mission to take down Saren but obviously that decisions lies with each of you."

His gaze moved across the aliens standing in front of him, waiting for the first one to give him their answer. It only took a few seconds for him to get his first answer. Tali stepped forward and looked him head on, or at least he assumed she did. He couldn't really tell where it was her eyes were looking.

"I told you before Shepard", the Quarian began, "I'll stick with you to end this threat with the Geth. With any luck I'll pick up something during this mission that I can bring back to the Flotilla."

Shepard gave her a nod and a small smile. He figured she would join but it was good to hear. Her knowledge of the Geth will probably come in handy at some point. And who knows what else she could do. He had heard Quarians were good with tech and several were skilled hackers, but he wasn't sure what she was. He would need to look into that. Tali gave him a way he could contact her and left to do who knows what. The next one to step up was Garrus, the Turian had a determined look on his face.

"I'll join you Shepard", he said. "Saren's an asshole that needs to be taken down. I'll resign my position at C-Sec and be ready to head out in an hour's time. Here's how you can get in touch with me, just send word where to meet you and I'll be there."

With that said he turned around and left to get his affairs in order. Again, this wasn't really a surprise to the Commander. He hadn't even known Garrus for a day and he had already heard the Turian bitch about C-Sec on multiple occasions. Garrus was a lot like himself in a lot of ways, they both hated having to deal with red tape instead of getting the job done. Now there was only one more he was waiting on an answer from. Said Krogan had a smirk on his face as he stepped towards Shepard.

"Alright Shepard, I'm in", Wrex said with a chuckle. "Something tells me you've got a whole lotta fight coming your way and I'll be damned if I'm gonna miss it. Here's how you can get in touch with me. Just let me know when you've got your ship."

And with that the aggressive Krogan stomped away, following the others. With no one left Shepard turned to the two humans still standing there.

"I want to go with you Shepard", Ashley said. "Saren's a threat to all of humanity and he needs to be taken down."

"I'm with Williams on this one sir", Kaidan agreed. "There's no way we can go back to our normal duties when we know you'll be out there tracking down one of the most dangerous fugitives in the galaxy."

"Look, it's not up to me", Shepard said. "If you wanna go you need to talk to Anderson. He's probably with Udina in his office. Tell him I'm willing to take the two of you with me and to transfer you over to my command. If he decides to put you somewhere else I'll go talk to him but there's won't be much I can do. I may be a Spectre but you're still Alliance personnel. I may be able to go my own way if I wanted but you can't."

Seeing the looks on the two human's faces he sighed and placed a hand on their shoulders.

"Like I said, go talk to Anderson. He probably won't have a problem with it. I'm not planning to leave until tomorrow anyways. There are some things I need to take care of here and then I need some sleep. And so do the rest of you. If you join me on this mission this could be the last solid sleep you'll get for a while, maybe ever."

Having said that he too walked away. There were a few people on the Citadel he needed to meet with then he should find somewhere to stay. Maybe Jenna and Rita would let him crash on their couch for the night.

-Line Break-

 _Beep…Beep…Beep_

Shepard awoke to the sound of his Omni-tools alarm going off. It wasn't one he set, instead it was one signaling an urgent message coming in. He glanced at the time and saw it was roughly 5:30 in the morning. He looked around him groggily for a second as he waited for his mind to wake up as well. Finally, he was able to remember. He was in Jenna and Rita's apartment on the Wards. He had become a Spectre the day before and that was most likely Anderson or Udina saying they needed to meet with him. Going to sit up he was stopped by the arms that were draped over his chest. Looking to his left and right the remainder of yesterday came back to him.

It had only taken an hour or so to finish the things he needed to on the Citadel, including one or two things he hadn't needed to. Such things included talking to an overenthusiastic fanboy with a hero complex. He had then gone to Flux and gotten permission from Rita to stay at their place for the night. He had left them to finish up their shift and headed there. He had spent a while talking to the sister's mom for the first time in years before they got home. From there things had spiraled. He remembered talking to them, drinking with them, and finally falling into bed when they refused to let him take the couch.

Rita, to his left, let out an agitated half-asleep mumble and latched her hand onto his arm. He looked down to find her looking up at him in confusion, sleep still noticeable in her eyes. He leaned down and gave her a long kiss before getting out of bed and going in search of his pants and armor.

"I've gotta go." He told her. "Urgent message from Anderson, they need to see me right away. I'll probably be leaving the Citadel in about an hour and so, I have no idea when I'll be back."

"I know", Rita said. She had turned over to watch him as he got dressed. She stretched out on the bed, back arching in a way that perfectly highlighted her chest area. She was no doubt tempting him into staying, something she knew he couldn't do but he couldn't say he wasn't tempted.

"We know the way you are Shepard", this was Jenna's voice coming from the other side of the bed, alerting them to the fact she was now awake. "Just be careful and let us know the next time you're here."

"You know I will" Shepard responded. Finished dressing he ensured he had all his weapons in their rightful place and went back to the bed, giving each sister a long kiss before heading out and leaving them to get some more sleep. He was slightly surprised to see their mom, Sara, up and on the couch. She appeared to be waiting for him and her eyes held a note of mischief in them. Shepard felt himself flush up remembering where he had just come from and what he had done the night before.

"Ah…Sara. I was just…", he said awkwardly.

"Don't bother John, I've known", she cut him off with a small smile. Despite her illness she still looked good and lively. He had always known her to be full of life, she was one of those people that enjoyed life to the fullest. She was also one of the only people in the galaxy he let call him John. To most it was Shepard, less familiar that way.

"I figured you'd be getting out of here early mister Spectre. I wanted to be sure I saw you before you left. Thank you again for watching out for my girls." Sara said, slight tears in her eyes as she stood to embrace him. "Take care of yourself, you hear me. You'd better not die before me."

Gone was Shepard in that moment, instead he was John. The fun loving, caring kid he used to be rather than the battle-hardened soldier he was now. He embraced her back, letting the hug last for a long time. Finally, he felt her release him and step back. She was still sniffling and crying even as she gave him another smile.

"Don't worry Sara. I'll be back", he said. "And don't you die either, you're gonna beat this thing and go on to live for a long time. Who else is going to look after Jenna and Rita while I'm gone."

Shepard gave her a smile and another quick hug before turning and walking out the door. As he closed it behind him he took a deep breath and that was it. John was gone again, leaving Shepard to face what was to come.

-Line Break-

Shepard met Anderson and Udina at the docking bay in front of the Normandy. He had sent word out to his teammates to meet him there as soon as they could, so he was expecting them in a few minutes. As he exited the elevator from C-Sec he noticed Ashley and Kaidan standing next to them, talking to each other. It seems he was right, Anderson had no problem transferring them over to him. He was slightly confused when he looked around and didn't see his new ship. He figured it would be here by now. He approached the group as they turned to greet him.

"I've got big news for you Shepard", Udina said instead of a greeting. "Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now."

"She's quick and quiet", Anderson said, "and you know the crew. Perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well Commander."

"So, you giving up command voluntarily or is this asshole making you?" Shepard asked. He payed no attention that said man's face turned red and was sputtering out the beginning to some fairly nasty words.

"How dare you Shepard", Udina finally managed to get out. "Just because you're a Spectre does not mean you can speak to me like that."

"Actually, that's exactly what it means", Shepard responded. "So, what about it Anderson."

"You need your own ship" Anderson said before things could turn into a big issue. "A Spectre can't answer to anyone but the Council, so we loaned it to the Citadel for the duration of your mission. It was time for me to step down anyways."

Anderson paused before forging forward.

"I was in your shoes twenty years ago Shepard. They were considering me…"

"For the Spectres, yea. I know." Shepard interrupted. "Harkin already told us. So what happened?"

"I failed", Anderson said bluntly. "That's all there is to it. Ask me some other time and I'll tell you the whole story but for now you need to be on your way. All you need to know is I was sent on a mission with Saren and he made sure the Council rejected me. Simple as that."

'Well at least that explains the obsession', Shepard thought to himself.

"Well Saren's gone, I'm not gonna even try to find him", Shepard decided. "Any leads?"

"We know he's searching for the Conduit", Anderson answered. "He's got the Geth scouring the Traverse searching for it."

"We had reports of Geth in the Feros system but nothing concrete so far", Udina said. He had apparently gotten over his anger from moments ago and was back to being somewhat helpful.

"Saren can't be allowed to get to that Conduit", Shepard said. "If he does he'll bring back the Reapers, the real threat".

"I'm with the Council on this one Shepard", Udina said. "I don't believe the Reapers exist. However, there is one more lead you may want to check up on. The Asari talking to Saren, Matriarch Benezia, she has a daughter. Dr. Liara T'Soni is her name, she's a scientist that specializes in the Protheans."

"Now that can't be a coincidence", Kaidan commented. Shepard nodded his head in agreement.

"Unfortunately we have no clue where she might be", Udina continued. "We know she set out some months ago to study some Prothean remains however we don't know which ones. There are several dozens of them spread throughout the galaxy, most in remote locations on unsettled worlds."

'Let's see, how can I find the daughter of a powerful Asari Matriarch. One with powerful connections.' He thought. After a second his eyes widened. If anyone would have more information, it would be her.

"I may have a lead on that, but I'll have to get back to you", Shepard said. Anderson and Udina looked at him quizzically but didn't press the issue.

"Whatever you decide to Shepard this is your decision. You're a Spectre now, you don't answer to us", Anderson said. It appeared as though Udina was thrilled with that statement because he jumped in with his own shortly after.

"But your actions still reflect on humanity as a whole", the Ambassador said angrily. Anderson looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and aggravation. "You make a mess and we're the ones stuck cleaning it up."

"That's your job isn't it Udina", Shepard said with a smile. "If I'm gonna be out there protecting humanity and the rest of the god-damn galaxy the least you can do is clean up when things get a little heated."

Udina didn't seem to like this answer either because he stepped forward and opened his mouth for no doubt another angry retort. He was stopped by a hand on his arm. Looking to his left he found Anderson giving him a slow shake of the head, telling him to let it go.

"Well, I'll get going in a minute", Shepard said. "My team should be getting here soon."

"That reminds me", Anderson said. "I'm sure you've guessed but Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams will be accompanying you on your mission."

Udina however was still caught on Shepard's words.

"Wait a minute. What team?"

As if on que the elevator opened behind him and the trio of aliens came strolling towards them. Garrus was in the middle with Tali to the left and Wrex to the right. Shepard gave them a direction with a quick nudge of his head and, without a word, they loaded onto it. Shepard gave Anderson and quick handshake and Udina a mocking pat on the head before he and the other two humans headed aboard as well.

Udina watched them go before turning to address the Captain next to him.

"They're going to be a problem, aren't they?" He asked.

"Probably", Anderson responded, a small smile pulling on his lip.

-Line Break-

Shepard had sent the members of his team to get set up somewhere on the ship. He didn't know where, that was something he check back up on later. Right now he walked to the front of the ship and the sarcastic pilot that would be flying in.

"I heard what happened to Captain Anderson", Joker said as a greeting. Seriously what ever happened to hello. "Survives a hundred battles but gets taken down by backroom politics. Better watch your back Commander. Things go bad on this mission, you're the next on the chopping block."

"I appreciate the concern Joker", Shepard responded with a wry tone in his voice.

"Everyone on this ship is behind you Shepard, one hundred percent", Joker replied. "Intercom's open. If you've got anything to say, now's the time."

A grin made it's way onto his face. This was going to be fun.

"This is Shepard speaking", he said into the intercom. "As you all know, Saren, the Turian we're chasing, was behind the attack on Eden Prime. Originally the Council was protecting him, well not anymore. Now we take him down and we take him down hard. This isn't the Alliance anymore. This is now _my_ ship and we'll be doing things _my_ way."

He paused to take a breath before continuing his speech.

"Neither the Alliance nor the Council are going to help us. This is our mission and if we get in trouble, there's not gonna be anyone riding out to rescue us. We're all we've got. There's not a place in this galaxy that Saren can hide. No world too remote, no area too dangerous where we won't follow. We will hunt him down and rid this galaxy of him. Now…let's go hunting."

Giving a nod to Joker the pilot turned of the intercom. Said pilot stared at Shepard for a moment, respect clearly in his gaze.

"Anderson would be proud sir", Joker commented.

"Anderson's not here Joker, I am. Now get this bird in the air", Shepard responded.

"Yes sir", the pilot responded. "Where are we headed?"

Shepard smiled, a gleam in his eye that made Joker nervous. It wasn't threatening, instead it had the look of someone that was about to do something crazy.

"Omega."

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thanks go out to everyone who came back and read this chapter. For all those who just started reading, welcome. I appreciate the interest this story is getting. Keep reading and giving me that feedback. Next Chapter will completely diverge from the storyline but we'll get back to it, promise.**

 **As you can tell I changed parts of this story up. Like I said this will stick to canon for the most part but there will be changes made to make this story my own. Please remember to Follow, Favorite, and Comment. I got more feedback after last chapter than the first three combined, let's keep that up. Again, your interest in this story is what makes me want to update faster. Feel free to message me with any questions or comments or simply write them in the comments section. I read all so if you want me to respond I probably will.**

 **Until next time, thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

****Updated****

 **I do not own Mass Effect nor any of the characters. They belong to Bioware.**

 **Warning: Strong language and sensitive scenes.**

 **Chapter 6: The Anti-Citadel**

 _Built from the mined out husk of a giant asteroid, Omega has served as the seedy capital of pirates and bandits for centuries. There may not be a more bloody history in the galaxy than that of what many have dubbed the anti-Citadel. With no official ruler, the management of Omega has been left to the various gangs and mercenary groups that inhabit the rock. However, that all changed with the arrival of one Asari._

 _I speak, of course, of Aria T'Loak. The Boss, Queen, CEO, if you're feeling dramatic. And with her arrival came the establishment of Omega's one rule._

" _A Traveler's Guide to the Galaxy; Omega, and why no one visits" by Kalor Sarn. Year 2158._

-Line Break-

"I'm sorry…did you say Omega?"

The mismatched team was 'enjoying' their lunch in the small Mass Hall on the ship's second level. It wasn't so much a Mess Hall as a single table just barely able to seat all of them. Garrus had a wide eyed, incredulous look on his face as he stared at his new leader. He had just informed them as to their destination.

"Yes, Omega." Shepard responded calmly while he chewed quickly on his food. It's not like this was the worst food he had ever had, but it was definitely up there. "Seriously, I'm the first freaking human Spectre and they have me choking down this shit?"

Kaidan nodded his head, face scrunched up in displeasure as he ate as quickly as he could, trying to taste as little as he could. The others had already given up on finishing, instead choosing to focus on the confrontation between Shepard and Garrus.

"Look Shepard, I really don't want to start this mission by second-guessing you", Garrus said. "But I really don't know if going there is a good idea."

"Um…excuse me", Ashley interrupted, a fork full of food on its way to her mouth. "Does someone want to explain to me what the big problem is with Omega?"

The room fell deathly silent as every gaze in the room turned towards her. She suddenly felt very self-conscious, a feeling felt only by those who realize they are the only one in the room that doesn't know something. Even Tali was looking at her, or at least she thought she was. It's hard to tell with the helmet.

"What?" Ashely asked. Her voice was slightly muffled with the food that was still in her mouth. Everyone looked at each other before Kaidan decided he would have to answer her.

"Omega may be the most crime infested place in the entire galaxy", Kaidan explained. "It is often described as the anti-Citadel. There is no law, the only thing that matters is money and who can take it."

"And we're going there because…", Ashley asked. Judging by what Kaidan had said she failed to see the advantage of going to this place.

"Because in a place like Omega, the only thing more valuable than credits is information", Shepard explained. "If there are any rumors going around about Geth movements someone will have heard of it. After that, it's all about getting them to release that information."

"Something tells me you already have a plan, Shepard", Wrex guessed.

"Nice guess", Shepard responded with a wry smile. "There's a person of great importance on Omega that happens to owe me a favor. Trust me, if anyone would have some information about Saren or the Geth, it's her."

"And who is, her?" Tali asked.

"You'll see when we get there", Shepard responded. "Until then, just relax and try to recover from this slop the Alliance somehow dares to call food."

Shepard rose from his seat and walks towards his new captain's cabin. One of the things he was looking forward to the most about being in control of his own ship had to be having his own room. It allowed for several luxuries he didn't get when being a simple soldier or even an XO.

Shepard entered his room and allowed the door to hiss shut behind him. They were still several hours from their destination which allowed him time for one of his favorite hobbies. Crossing his room he opened one of his cabinets and withdrew the contents from within. He had an impressive collection of liquor he had stashed on the Normandy when he was first assigned to it however having his own room meant not needed to keep it stashed down in the hull.

He had only just taken the first sip of his beer, a classic from Earth he was fond of, when he heard a knocking on his cabin door. He gave an annoyed sigh and went to see who was bothering him. He wasn't really worried about anyone seeing him drinking and reporting him in to the Alliance. They were currently on loan to the Council and he was, in fact, a Spectre. Meaning it was a little hazy as to what rules he needed to follow.

He was expecting it to be Ashley coming to ask him something about the new crew he had recruited for this mission. It was still unclear to him whether she was actually racist against aliens, but she was definitely close. He could clearly detect some resentment, a fact she had made clear in a conversation they had had when just after the Normandy left the Citadel. She assured him it wouldn't be a problem so for the moment he had no choice but to believe her. However, he would be sure to keep an eye on her going forwards.

The sight that greeted him instead was that of a nervous looking Quarian standing in front of him. She was anxiously shifting from foot to foot, her hands wringing together. Shepard raised an eyebrow before greeting her.

"Hey Tali. Come on in."

He turned around and headed back for his bed, sitting himself on the edge and watching as the young Quarian hesitated for a moment before entering his room. He might need to do something to improve her confidence, nervous squad members did not have a good history of making it on his team.

"I am sorry to bother you like this Shepard", she apologized.

"It's no problem", he responded, "I wasn't doing anything important. I'd offer you a drink but I don't think I have anything dextro so…"

"Oh, it is no problem", she responded.

Shepard waited a moment to see if she would tell him what she was doing here however she continued to stare around the room. He wasn't sure what it was that fascinated her so much but he figured she had had a long enough look.

"So…was there something you wanted?" He asked her.

She started slightly and moved her gaze back to him. Or, at least, he though she did.

"Yes Commander, sorry", she said. "I was wondering if you would mind letting me work with your engineers down in the hull. I grew up repairing ships with the migrant fleet, I know what I am doing."

"I don't doubt it", Shepard responded. He took another swig of the liquid in his hand, grimacing slightly at the taste. He may be partial to the taste, but this was one of the stronger brands that came from Earth and packed one hell of a punch. "Sure, go ahead if you want to. I'll send a message down to engineering and let them know you have access. Just do me a favor and don't cause too much trouble. Otherwise they'll call me to deal with it and I really don't have the patience."

"Thank you, Shepard. You won't regret this."

"Good. Now go get set up because you're coming with me onto Omega", he responded.

"Of course, Shepard", Tali replied.

With that she turned around and exited the room, the door hissing shut once again behind her. Shepard took another gulp of his drink and contemplated what may be waiting for him. He had not left things on the best of terms with her. He could only hope she gave him a chance to speak instead of shooting him on sight. She may owe him a favor, but she was unpredictable at best. Shepard could never predict how she would act. Shepard went to take another drink only to find the bottle empty when no liquid hit his tongue. He pulled the bottle away from his face and peered inside. Nothing.

"Why is the alcohol always gone", he asked himself, exasperated. He chucked the glass against the far wall and collapsed on his bed with a sigh. This was going to suck.

-Line Break-

" _Commander, we're approaching Omega. Ten minutes out."_

Shepard stirred awake at the sound of Joker's voice coming through the speakers. He groaned as he sat up, a pounding ache in his head. Looking around he saw several discarded bottles lying around the room, a reminder of how he had spent the last several hours.

"Commander…", Joker's voice insisted.

"I hear you, Joker", Shepard responded, irritably. He clutched his head again as a fresh wave of pain moved through his head. "I'll be up in a moment."

"Aye, aye Commander."

Shepard rose to his feet and checked his reflection in the mirror. He looked ruff but not too much worse than usual. Clearing the blurriness from his eyes, he left his room and headed up the stairs to meet Joker on the bridge.

Omega was coming into view as Shepard joined his pilot. It did not have any actual ruler or rules of any kind which meant you didn't need to ask permission to land. However, it also meant there was no security so you had best leave some men behind to guard your ship.

"Well, there she is. The biggest dump in the entire galaxy." Joker commented.

"It's all about how you look at it", Shepard responded. Joker turned to look at him, amusement lighting up his eyes at what he saw.

"Seriously, Shepard. How much did you drink, it was like the middle of the day?" He asked.

"Not another word, Joker", Shepard responded. The pilot simply sniggered and began to pull the ship in to an open dock. The rest of Shepard's team members joined them as Joker settled the ship down.

"Wow, this place really is a dump", Ashley commented.

"I'm pretty sure that's what their postcards say", Kaidan joked. Shepard gave him an annoyed look out of the corner of his eye that no one saw. In all honesty he didn't mind the Lieutenant, but he had a bad habit of telling awful jokes.

"I'm pretty sure any postcard sent from Omega has the same message. 'Someone stole all my credits, please send some so I can get the hell off this rock'," Shepard commented dryly. Ashley snorted in amusement. Kaidan sent him an annoyed look of his own. Shepard guessed he wasn't happy that he got a laugh while Kaidan didn't.

"So, what's the plan here skipper", Ashley asked. Shepard looked at her skeptically. When did she start calling him skipper?

"The plan is for me and a small team to leave the ship while the rest of the ground team stays to guard the ship. And I mean guard it, because it _will_ get stolen", Shepard responded. "Ashley, I'll take you, Garrus, and Tali with me. That leaves you and Wrex to guard the Normandy", Shepard nodded to indicate he was talking to Kaidan.

"What about Jenkins?" Kaidan asked. Shepard had been hinting since they left the Citadel that Jenkins would not be joining their new additions on the ground team. He had yet to say anything officially, but it was something Kaidan could see coming. Jenkins had not performed well on Eden Prime and the commander was not one to give second chances.

Shepard gave a sigh as he thought of the young soldier. Based off Jenkins performance in his first ever mission, he didn't give Shepard a lot of reasons to trust that he would keep his head when things got crazy. But that wasn't the biggest reason Shepard was taking Jenkins off his ground team. The simple truth of the matter was, compared to the new additions such as Wrex and Garrus, Jenkins just didn't stack up.

"Tell Jenkins he's off the ground team indefinitely", Shepard said in the emotionless voice he typically adopted when giving orders. Kaidan had taken to calling it his 'commander' mode.

"He's not going to like being confined to the ship", Ashley commented.

"I don't really care", Shepard responded indifferently. "He can't compare to squad members like Tali or either of you. He's more likely to get himself killed than he is to be any kind of a help to us. With a rogue Spectre threatening the galaxy with the return of the most destructive force the galaxy has probably ever seen I can't really concern myself with the feelings of one unhappy crew member."

"I'll go let him know", Kaidan said. "Ashley, you should come so we can round up the other squad members and let them know their assignments."

Ashley nodded her head in confirmation. The two set off, leaving Shepard with the sarcastic pilot watching as the mined-out asteroid grew closer.

-Line Break-

"Alright, now I'm serious", Shepard spoke sternly to the two members of his team that would be remaining with the ship, "you need to keep an eye on the ship. Some of the best thieves in the galaxy live on Omega."

"Relax Shepard, we got this", Wrex said smugly. "I would love to meet the thief that believes they could steal a ship from me."

"Whatever you say, Wrex", Shepard replied with a sigh.

Shepard led the team he was taking with him through the tunnel and towards the heart of Omega. Ashley scrunched her nose as she was assaulted by the unfamiliar foul air around her. Exiting the tunnel they all looked around, beholding the unpleasant sight that was Omega. Everything they could see was dirty and dim, the only pleasant colors coming from across the 'street' in front of them. The sign glowed a neon orange, portraying the word 'Afterlife'.

Ashley noticed his gaze had locked onto the club. She turned a pleading gaze towards him in protest.

"Please tell me we're not going in there", She pleaded.

"Sorry Ash", she colored slightly at the nickname. "My source likes to hang out at the club. In fact, she owns it."

Shepard led his group over to the entrance before they were stopped by an angry looking Batarian.

"Names", he asked.

Shepard stiffened. The other members of his team noticed his hands clenching into fists down by his side as he answered the question.

"The name's Shepard, and I suggest you step aside and let me pass", he responded. His voice adapted a low, threatening growl that the Batarian either didn't pick up on or ignored. Instead he checked the screen that was in his hands before looking back up and giving an arrogant smirk at the commander.

"I don't see your name on the list, human", the Batarian sneered. "Get in line with everyone else."

The bouncer turned around and began to walk away from them before a human hand gripped his forearm and turned him around forcefully. The Batarian stumbled as he came face to face to the human he had just dismissed. He was surprised by the strength he had displayed.

"I said let me through", Shepard growled. This time the Batarian payed attention to the threat that was in the human's voice. Reaching to his side he drew his side-arm and pointed it at the human's head.

"And what if I don't?" The bouncer asked.

Faster than any of the guards could follow Shepard's hand snaked up and grabbed ahold of the gun, moving it away from his face. Before the Batarian could react he twisted slightly and delivered a wicked strike with the back of his elbow to the bouncer's head. Said Batarian released the grip on his gun and clutched at his face. The next he knew he was starring down the barrel of his own gun.

The guards around them finally reacted, drawing their weapons and pointed them at Shepard and his crew. They, in turn, pulled their own weapons and got themselves ready for a fight. They may be outnumbered, however they clearly had the advantage in skill. Shepard's crew were all trained, in some form or other, in combat while the guards in front of them were mostly local thugs that barely knew one end of their weapon from the other.

The tense standoff continued for several seconds, neither side so much as blinking. Shepard's crew waited on his signal while the Afterlife guards were waiting for their own orders. All the patrons that had been waiting in line to get in to the club had fled, more interested in staying alive than keeping their spot in line. Just as the tension was reaching a breaking point the doors of Afterlife opened with a hiss. Every eye slid towards them.

Walking out of the club, looking very dangerous and very much in charge was a young, light skinned human. He appeared to be no older that nineteen or twenty years old. His black hair was slicked slightly back and to the side. He had an interesting tattoo going up the right side of his neck and stopping just short of his cheek. A jagged scar, light against his skin, just below his temple on the left side of his face. The thing that caught Shepard's eye, as well as the rest of his team, the most was his eyes. They were a piercing purple.

'I didn't even know purple could _be_ an eye color.' Shepard though to himself.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on out here", the strange man said. He sounded casual however he was clearly ready for a fight should it come to that. This man was not like the other guards. He clearly knew what he was doing.

"This human and his group are trying to force their way into Afterlife", responded the Batarian. Shepard still had the gun right in his face.

"And who is he?" The man asked.

"He said his name was Shepard", the Batarian responded again. The human's eyes widened slightly at the name. He descended the steps until he was standing next to the two of them, pistol out.

"Is that so", the man said. He studied the fellow human's face for a few seconds before aiming his gun and firing…into the leg of the Batarian. Said Batarian dropped to the ground with a scream of pain. His fellow guards started and looked on is shock but made no move to go help. The human then addressed the commander.

"My apologies Shepard", the human said. "He's new, but should have recognized the name. Needless to say, he won't be back here. Please follow me, I'm sure Aria will want to speak with you."

Shepard gave one final glance at the Batarian writhing on the ground and clutching his leg before following the man into the club. Behind him his team glanced at each other uncertainly but followed after a second's hesitation. They proceeded down a long, dimly lit hallway. Already they could hear the pulsing music through the door at the other end. It only took them a minute to go from one end to the other however their nerves made it seem ten times longer. Tali glanced at Shepard to see how he was reacting. The commander looked to her as if he was right at home. Finally the door opened and they were met with a blast of pulsing music that nearly deafened them.

They could all see what made Afterlife so popular the second the door opened. It was much larger than any of the clubs on the citadel. In the center of the room was a pillar that glowed with a neon purple light. It appeared to go through the floor, apparently the club was multi-storied. Off to the sides there were several tables and bars with people of every species serving drinks to patrons of every race. Then, of course, was the clubs main attractions. Half-naked woman were dancing in every area of the club. On tables, where patrons could sit down and watch as well as on platforms that hung from the ceiling in the center surrounding the pillar.

"Welcome to Afterlife", the strange man said with a chuckle. "Now follow me, I'm sure Aria would like to speak with the people that caused such a disturbance at her front door."

As they walked, Garrus inched closer to the commander so he could whisper in the human's ear.

"Is Aria the one we came here to talk to?" He asked. His voice came out louder than a whisper so the human could hear him over the music.

"Yes", Shepard responded however offered nothing further. Taking the hint Garrus dropped back with the rest of the squad, leaving Shepard alone at the front, just behind the guard.

As they walked through the club they could see another reason why it was so popular. There were dozens of guards stationed throughout the club, and that was just what they could see. It had to be the safest place on the entire station.

Reaching a set of stairs, the group ascended until they could see who they assumed had to be Aria. She was an Asari, sitting sprawled out on a couch. The couch was on a small platform several steps above where they stood. It looked as though she had taken the idea from the olden kings that would sit on their throne and look down on those they were speaking to. From there she could keep an eye on the club and all its inhabitants. Standing on platforms to either side of the couch, on the edge of the balcony so they could also be seen by those below, were two very talented dancers. One human and the other Asari.

She appeared very nonchalant at first, however when she caught sight of the commander she straightened up and her eyes narrowed.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is", she said dryly. "I was beginning to wonder when you would return."

"It's nice to see you too, Aria", Shepard commented sarcastically. Meanwhile several of the guards next to them had begun scanning each member of his team. However, when one stepped up to scan him Aria gave a quick shake of her head to warn said guard to back off.

"So, what is the reason for your return to my station", she asked.

"Your station? I thought Omega didn't have any sort of governing party", Tali asked.

"Officially it doesn't. In practice however, everyone knows who's in charge. It's not official, I am simply the most powerful being on this rock, therefor I run it", Aria responded. "I must say, we don't get many Quarians here, apparently even those on their pilgrimage have been warned to stay away."

"I'm here because I need to cash in that favor you owe me", Shepard interjected. "I need some information."

"Of course, you do", Aria said laughingly. She went back to lounging on her couch, nudging her head to indicate he could take a seat on one of the seats that branched from the couch. Shepard nodded his head in confirmation and did just that. The human who had showed them into the club followed behind him. He took a seat next to Aria, where the Asari immediately stuck one hand in his hair and started to pet him. It was a move of power, leaving no doubt who was in charge. The act, while intimate, was also very controlling, though the human didn't seem to mind all that much. He was more than likely used to it.

"Now, what can I do for you", Aria asked once Shepard had gotten settled. "What does humanity's first Spectre need from the Queen of Omega, hmm?"

Shepard started slightly. He wasn't aware that fact was common knowledge yet, though he shouldn't have been surprised. News of his new position had probably spread across the galaxy by now. If she knew about his appointment to the Spectres then she also, more than likely, knew about his mission. Which meant she was toying with him, something that he hated with a passion.

"Cut the crap Aria", he said. "If you know that I'm a Spectre then you also know about my mission, which means you know why I've come. Normally I don't mind playing along however I'd like to be off this station before the Alliance or the Council figures where I've gone. I don't want to have to explain this."

Aria's face turned emotionless, a sight he was used to seeing on her.

"I assume you've come to ask me if I have any information on the former Spectre Saren Arterius or his Geth. The answer is no", Aria said. Shepard's mood darkened. If she didn't have any news then there was nothing he could do but patrol the galaxy and wait for him to attack another colony.

"Well this was a waste of a trip", he commented, annoyed. As he was about to rise from his seat and leave, Aria's next words stopped him.

"However, I may have a lead on the Asari Matriarch following him, Lady Benezia."

Shepard's head snapped back to look at her. In response she smirked, knowing she once again had his full attention. Her hand was still playing with the hair of the man beside her.

"Benezia has a daughter. I am told she is an expert in her field, despite her young age. Well, by Asari standards that is", Aria said.

"And what is her field", Shepard asked, curious.

"She is an expert on the Protheans, not a very popular field for Asari." Aria said. She smirked when she saw Shepard stiffen, meaning she knew his mission was connected to the Protheans. Shepard was reminded once again of the dangers of underestimating this Asari. There was a reason she had ruled over one of the galaxy's most dangerous places for centuries.

"Do you know where she is?" Shepard asked. He wasn't sure if the daughter was connected to her mother and Saren's plot however having an expert on the Protheans might be useful. Having leverage on Benezia could be even more so.

"As a matter of fact, I do. She is currently on an archeological dig at an old Prothean site. The location is a small, uninhabited planet called Therum in the Artemis Tau cluster of the Knossos solar system. Her name is Liara, Dr. Liara T'Soni. However, I would advise you to hurry. An hour before you arrived we detected an emergency beacon launched from the planet. No telling what's going on."

Shepard's eyes widened. Saren was going after his best lead. If he was searching for the Conduit he would need an expert on the Protheans to do so. They would have to hurry. Shepard stood to leave however was once again stopped by Aria. It was amazing how she could get chatty at the absolute worst times.

"This is an interesting team you have put together. And I thought you didn't play well with others?" Aria said in amusement. Shepard shot her an annoyed looked, however Aria didn't even blink. Sighing, Shepard turned back to answer.

"When you're a part of the Alliance, you learn to work with others. I didn't really have a choice in the matter. And besides, at least this team knows what they're doing. I don't have to worry about a bunch of amateurs screwing things up", he responded.

"Indeed", Aria replied. "Though I must question how far you are willing to go to fulfill your death wish."

"For the thousandth time, I don't have a death wish", Shepard said, annoyed. He wasn't sure how long ago it was that she started saying this, her way of calling him reckless. At the time Shepard had thought it was her way of saying she was worried about him, but that had been squashed quickly.

"So, what is this then?" Aria asked. "Are you getting ready for one of those complicated games you like to play?"

"You know me", Shepard responded. "Every strategy can be translated into a game. If I can figure out what game Saren is playing, I will be able to predict his moves and beat him."

"Well, I've never believed in that theory of yours but it's hard to argue with the results", Aris said. "I assume we are even now?"

She may have phrased it like a question however it was more of a demand. Like Shepard, Aria hated owing anyone favors.

"Not quite", Shepard replied. Aria's eyes darkened in anger and the man beside he shifted slightly, sensing his bosses rage. The tense atmosphere was being noticed down the steps where Shepard's crew were observing the exchange between the two dangerous individuals. They were not sure what they were hearing however they were able to discern one thing. Those two had a longer and more complicated history than they originally believed.

"And why not", Aria asked. Shepard knew he had pissed her off and would need to proceed with caution. It had been a while since the two had last fought so he wasn't sure if he would be able to take her yet. However, they were on Omega. If anything went down, it wasn't just the Asari he would be dealing with. But he couldn't allow her to use her advantage and cheat him out of his favor, who knew if he would ever get one again. She had helped him, yes, but it was a small help and he would need her going forward.

"I'll call things even if you promise to forward any information you hear regarding Benezia, the Geth, or Saren himself", Shepard responded. "I don't care if they're only unverified rumors, if you think they are credible send the information to me. I assume you still have my private channel network, you can reach me there. Do we have a deal?"

If this were anyone else, he would have stuck out his hand to shake. He knew Aria was not fond of physical contact unless it was something more…pleasurable. He was slightly shocked by how she was acting with the man that had brought them in. Sleeping with him was one thing, but she usually wasn't as public with these kinds of things. Even after all these years she could still surprise him. Shepard also had a feeling this man was not one of her usual 'use them for a few days then toss them away'. He was dangerous, and one thing Shepard knew Aria valued was a good ally.

Aria glared at him for a few more tense seconds before nodding her head in acceptance. Turning to the man beside her she addressed him for the first time since he had brought them to her.

"Scott, show the Spectre and his team back to their ship", she instructed. "And make sure that troublemaking Batarian is no longer outside my club, I have no time to deal with simple trash."

The man, now known as Scott, nodded his head and rose from the couch. He gave a small bow and led Shepard down the steps to his team. Behind him, Shepard heard Aria call out one final thing to him.

"Don't die out there Shepard", she called. Though this sentence would normally be taken as a sign of concern Aria made it quite clear that it wasn't. "I would hate to have to put up with Geth incursions for the coming years. Who knows when Saren will turn his eyes to Omega. And as for those Reapers you mentioned. I very much hope your wrong, but just in case…don't let Saren reach the Conduit."

Shepard's team tensed up when Aria mentioned Reapers and the Conduit. Apparently, Shepard's thoughts were right, Aria knew all about the mission. She must have someone on the Citadel reporting to her, showing that nothing is as secret as people like to believe. Without turning to face her he followed Scott out of Afterlife, his team and a small party of Aria's guards following them.

They had exited the club and were on their way to the Normandy when Shepard decided it was time to annoy the man in front of him a little.

"How does it feel to be Aria's little plaything", he asked. "Or maybe plaything isn't the right word. Pet? Sex toy? Bitch?"

To Scott's credit, the only reaction Shepard could see was the clenching of his hands.

"Very funny", Scott responded. "Aria never told me you two knew each other. It's impressive that you actually got her to owe you a favor."

"If there's a question in there I'm not answering", replied Shepard.

"Of course not", Scott scoffed. After that there was no more conversing until the group was approaching the Normandy. Seeing Shepard returning with an armed convoy, Garrus and Wrex lifted their weapons. Shepard calmed them with a hand gesture, they had gone this long without triggering a fight. He hoped not to start one on his way out.

"Well, thanks for the escort. You should probably run back to Aria before she replaces you with a cat and her hand", Shepard mocked. Scott chuckled a little, but not at the joke.

"Aria _did_ tell me you were an asshole", he commented. Shepard laughed as well. Most people would not speak to him that way, his reputation serving as a deterrent. He was beginning to see why Aria liked him, as an asset at least.

"Not bad kid, what's your name anyway", Shepard asked as his team started boarding the ship. Scott hesitated for a second before shrugging.

"It's Ryder, Scott Ryder."

-Line Break-

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the long wait between updates. Between finals and the holidays, I have not had much time to write. I hope to get back to my schedule of updating every week or two. As you can tell this is mostly a fun filler chapter that moves the story for next chapter and gives us a little more of an insight into Shepard's past.**

 **I'm curious who could pick up on the man's identity before I revealed it and at what point. In case anyone was wondering I am considering making a story for Mass Effect Andromeda however it will not be for a while and will be dependent on what you guys think. As you can see, much as I have done with Shepard, Ryder would be more hardened and badass. One of the things I was most disappointed about Andromeda was he getting rid of the Paragon and Renegade. I always like to play renegade because it's more fun that way.**

 **As always, let me know what you think. Follow, favorite, Comment. Your interest is what inspires me to write. The more interest, particularly comments, the faster I'll update. I know this one took me a while but it wasn't because of lack of interest, as I said life got crazy.**

 **See you all next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

****Updated****

 **I do not own Mass Effect nor any of the characters. They belong to Bioware.**

 **Warning: Strong language and violence**

 **Chapter 7: Doctor T'Soni I Presume**

 _Liara T'Soni, while now considered one the galaxies foremost experts on the Prothean race, was not always as respected. In fact, despite her outstanding marks during her time in University as well as the glowing reviews of her instructors, most of her early work was dismissed due to her young age. Years later, many of those same critics would rave about those same works._

 _Without question, her most famous work was conceived and written during her first stint on the SSV Normandy. Immediately following its release, it was met with a wave of skepticism and ridicule. Several of those same professors who had raved about her brilliance came out in opposition. Several of them even went so far as to question her sanity. It is often amusing how theories once thought mad can become brilliant by the introduction of new evidence._

" _The Normandy Saga; Volume 7: Liara T'Soni", Matriarch Dera T'Vala. Year 2213._

-Line Break-

" _Commander, we're approaching Therum"_

Shepard stirred awake at the sound of Joker's voice spilling through the speakers of his cabin. He started to sit up before a dull ache had him grabbing his head and collapsing back onto the bed. The sudden motion knocked an empty bottle off his bed, sending it crashing to the floor. The resulting noise sent another sharp jolt of pain through the commander's head, causing him to groan again.

'I swear, hangovers almost make me want to quit drinking. Almost' He thought to himself.

Taking a few deep breathes he once again tried to rise from his bed, though this time at a much slower pace. The next step once he had accomplished this goal was swinging his legs over the edge and standing up. It took him a few tries however he was finally able to get his feet under him and stand on his feet, albeit shakily.

Groaning, he headed for the door before picking up his reflection in the mirror. He was standing in nothing but his underwear, something he was sure his crew would not appreciate. Though it would be interesting to see some their reactions.

"This is going to be an interesting journey up to the bridge." Shepard said to himself.

-Line Break-

Somehow, Shepard was able to meander his way out of his room and up to the bridge without drawing attention to himself. It wouldn't do to let his crew figure out their captain had gotten drunk before a mission and was now dealing with a massive hangover. Apparently, he wasn't the only one that joker contacted. Every member of his ground team was hanging around the bridge, suited up and ready for a battle.

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to join us", Garrus joked. Shepard looked over at him, slightly surprised. He was not used to seeing, or rather hearing, a Turian make a joke. They were a very militaristic culture. As such, they tended not to joke around, much too serious for Shepard's taste. It was good to see that he had gotten one of the few Turians born without a giant stick up their ass.

"Shut up, Vakarian", Shepard barked back. He had taken a pain-relieving pill that had helped, however it was still there. A dull ache originating right behind his right eye. Annoying, but something he could deal with. Something he had dealt with many times before.

"Ooh, is the commander feeling cranky", Kaidan said, teasingly. Shepard grit his teeth, the guy had an uncanny ability to piss him off.

"Alenko, you are _this_ close to me kicking your ass out of that airlock", Shepard warned, pointing to the side at the door that led to the ship's exit. Rather than be intimidates, Alenko and the rest of his team chuckled.

'Wow, I'm really getting soft', Shepard thought to himself. 'I remember a time when that would have had people shitting themselves. What has the Alliance done to me?'

"Alright, Alright. Everyone settle down", Shepard continued, giving up on the issue. For now. "Now, Joker. You found somewhere we can set this bird down yet?"

"Sorry commander, that's looking like a no-go", Joker responded. "The entire area surrounding the dig site is molten lava flowing from a series of active volcanos. There seems to be a path of solid land, but it's not big enough to actually land the ship."

"There has to be a landing zone somewhere close to the dig site", Tali questioned.

"Yea, there is. Only problem is, I'm detecting Geth activity around the dig site. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that this ship has _literally_ no weapons. It's _way_ too dangerous to land a ship in the middle of all that gunfire", Joker responded.

Shepard thought over the problem at hand. Normally, he would suggest he and his team parachute in, just like they did on Eden Prime. However, there was still the problem that Joker described. It would be way to dangerous trying to drop in, the Geth would see them coming. They would all be dead before they got within a hundred feet of the ground.

He was vaguely aware of various voices shouting out ideas while he thought things through. At some point Pressly must have joined them. He had not talked much to his XO, not that he thought he needed him. Pressly was simply an officer the Alliance kept on his ship, so they could keep tabs on him. He was a good enough guy, but at the end of the day Shepard didn't know who he would side with if it came to it. Him, or the Alliance.

Thinking about the Alliance brought Shepard's mind back to the mission on Akuze. They were going to be dropped down into heavy combat. It wasn't just Batarian soldiers they had to worry about. They had turrets surround their strongholds, meaning they needed more firepower themselves. And it just so happened the solution then could work now as well.

Shepard cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of everyone around him. Once they had all quieted down, Shepard addressed his pilot.

"So…Joker. Have you ever performed a Mako drop before?" Shepard asked. In response, Joker turned his head around and fixed his commander with a slightly manic grin. All the non-human members of his ground team gave questioning and uncertain looks at the human's, who had suddenly gone pale.

"Of course I have, Shepard", Joker responded. He was chuckling slightly and scanning his equipment. "And my sensors are indicating there's an ideal spot to do it about a mile from the dig site. Far enough away from the dig site and any detected Geth activity so there's no chance of danger."

"Alright, well now you know the plan. Everyone, down to the loading dock. We're going for a little drive", Shepard said. He then smirked and walked away without another word. After a moment the remaining members of his team followed him one by one. Tali was the last one to follow. She had been standing, looking at Shepard walk away with her head tilted in confusion. Finally, she could hold it in no longer and exclaimed…

"What is a Mako drop?"

-Line Break-

"I'm not so sure about this, Shepard", Tali exclaimed nervously. The entire team was sitting nervously inside the Mako, strapped in and fidgeting uncomfortably. Shepard sat behind the wheel, grinning with excitement. Next to him, Tali sat in the navigator's seat. She would be monitoring the Mako's sensors. Behind them was Wrex and Garrus. Shepard had appointed Garrus to the gunner position, he would be handling the vehicles weapons in the high probability they would have to fight off a group of Geth. Wrex had not been happy they Turian had gotten that position instead of him. Shepard only got him to stop bitching by promising he could have it next time. He still wasn't sure if him putting the Krogan next to the Turian was a good idea. So far he hadn't heard of any conflicts between them but he really didn't want to push his luck.

Ashley and Kaidan rounded out his team, the two humans sitting in the very back. Ashley, like Wrex, was not happy she didn't get the gunner position. Kaidan was mad he had chosen Tali to be his navigator instead of him. No offense to the man, but if Shepard had to choose between a Quarian and a Human, when it came to technology, he would take the Quarian every time.

"Oh relax, Tali. I've done this", Shepard stopped to count off on his fingers before continuing, "three times before."

This answer did little to soothe the nervous Quarian.

"So, you know what you're doing then", she asked.

"Totally, I haven't crashed since my first time", Shepard responded. Any nerves he had dispelled moments ago immediately came back on his answer.

"Uhm, commander. I was just thinking…when we find this doctor T'Soni, she's going to need a place to sit. One of us should stay on the ship so…I'll stay" Ashley said nervously from the back seat.

"Nice try Williams", Shepard replied. "If we need space one of us can just sit on another's lap. I'm thinking Garrus and Wrex…or you and Kaidan. Haven't decided yet but we can cross that bridge when we come to it."

Ashley and Kaidan blushed and refused to look at each other. Garrus and Wrex were the opposite, looking at each other in distaste and hostility. Seeing their reactions, Shepard chuckled before his attention was drawn by Joker's voice.

"You ready Shepard, we're approaching the drop site", the pilot said.

"Ready, Joker. Just let me know when to go",

Seconds later the ramp that was used to move cargo and other large objects into the ship opened in front of them. They could feel the Mako shake as the air rushed passed them. Shepard's hands tightened on the wheel and they waited… waited…. waited. Finally, they heard Joker's voice again.

"Now, Shepard, go"

His foot surged forward and slammed down on the accelerator. The Mako shot forward, drawing cries of surprise from most of its inhabitants. And then, suddenly, they were plummeting through the air. Kaidan, Ashley, and Tali all screamed as they fell. Wrex and Garrus were silent, however maintained a death grip on whatever they get their hands on. Shepard was the odd man out, actually laughing as they fell. Sure, it wasn't the same feeling he got when he was freefalling but still nice.

"500 hundred feet and falling", Tali notified him once she had calmed slightly. "400…300…200…100"

Once Shepard judged they had reached 50 he hit a button on his control panel, triggering the Mako's bottom thrusters, slowing their descent. A second later, the entire Mako shook, bouncing the occupants around as it hit the ground and skidded to a stop.

Continuing to laugh to himself Shepard pried his hand off the steering wheel and turned to see how his teammates were doing. They were all working hard to get their breathing under control. He was kind of surprised by the way Kaidan and Ashley were acting. It was like they had never been part of a Mako drop before. His suspicions were soon confirmed with Ashley's next comment.

"I heard that those things suck but I never thought it would be that bad."

"I know. I always thought those guys were just being dramatic. I'd apologize if any of them were still alive", Kaidan commented. Ashley looked over at him in surprise, slightly uneasy about his casual use of dark humor.

"That may have been my smoothest drop yet", Shepard said to himself, but loud enough that everyone else could hear. "Alright, well no use sitting here. We have a scientist to save and or kidnap. And an army of Geth standing in the way…should be fun."

-Line Break-

Tali chocked off another cry as the Mako bounced again, the sound and vibration of a rocket fired from a Geth soldier jostling the banged-up vehicle. So far, they had been driving for around twenty minutes and had encountered more Gath than she could count. It had only taken her five minutes to realize a simple, yet terrifying fact.

John Shepard was a terrible driver.

Though it may not be fair to blame that entirely of him. From what she could tell about the machine she was currently sitting in, she doubted anyone could be particularly good at handling it. She made a mental note to check it out later, see if there was anything she could do to improve it's driving. Not to mention any improvements she could make regarding the weapons.

When she had first seen the Mako she remembered being impressed with the weapons she could see it equipped with. However, in practice it was far less impressive. The Gatling gun attached was difficult to aim when going after smaller targets such a Geth troopers. And against larger targets like Armatures, don't even bother. Sure, it was easier to hit them, but they did such little damage she questioned the point. Their best weapon was the massive canon attached to the top, which she still felt should be able to do more damage. Not to mention the amount of time that had to pass between shots.

Tali was brought out of her thoughts by the feel of another rocket hitting next to them. One thing she could say about the commander's driving, it may look bad and feel terrible, but it was reasonably effective. They had yet to take a direct hit from a rocket, though plenty had hit close to them. A moment later she felt the now familiar jostling she had come to associate with them driving over a Geth Rocket Trooper.

That had proven to be their most effective means of destroying Geth, running them over. Behind her, she was listening to another argument between Garrus and Wrex regarding which would be a better gunner. Every once in a while, Ashley would lean forwards to give her own opinion before going back to talking to Kaidan. The two seemed to be getting along quite well. She had spent the entire journey thus far speaking with Shepard. Admittedly, she wasn't good at talking to people she did not know.

"So Tali, tell me more about life on the Migrant Fleet. It sounds pretty interesting", Shepard requested.

"Well, as I said, it is very crowded", Tali continued. "Supporting an entire race amongst a handful of ships, even if they are very large, creates some challenging living arrangements. Thankfully I was spared the worst of that."

Shepard glanced over at her quickly, a curious look on his face.

"What do mean by that", he asked. Tali paused to let him know she had picked up another squad of Geth on her scanners. He quickly jerked the wheel to the side, the usual boom and shockwave following off to the side. Above her, she heard the sound of the Gatling gun followed by the boom of the cannon and the dots vanished from her scanner screen.

"I grew up as the daughter of one of the fleet's Admirals", Tali explained. "As such I lived a life that was _slightly_ more comfortable than most. Not much, mind you, but still enough to make a difference. My family had a slightly larger living quarter and I was provided with the best possible education."

"Wow, sounds interesting", Shepard commented. "I guess you had quite the childhood then."

"You would think, but no", Tali admitted. She wasn't sure why she was saying this, but there was something about Shepard that made her want to open up. "While having a father on the Admiralty Board can lead to more comforts, it also means he is never home. I lost my mother when I was very young to an infection that made its way through the ship so I spent the majority of my childhood alone or with my Auntie Raan."

"Oh. I know what it's like to grow up without any real parents", Shepard said. "Both of mine died when I was still young. At least you had an aunt to take care of you."

"I suppose, though Auntie Raan isn't an actual aunt. She's an old friend of my father's. She actually synchronized her suit with my mother, so she could be in the same room and deliver me." Shepard wasn't sure, the face mask prevented him from seeing her face, but he thought she was smiling fondly. Sensing things were getting a little too real for a mission he decided to change the subject.

"So, you mention something about an Admiralty Board. Can you tell me what that is", Shepard asked? Their conversation was interrupted again when Tali announced another group of Geth. This one would be a little trickier, they had an Armature with them. Shepard found the best way to deal with them was to simply run them over, back up, take a shot with the canon and Gatling gun, then, when it started to get back up, run it over again. He'd repeat this process until he overloaded its shields and left it broken on the ground.

This squad of Geth soldiers were much like the others, not presenting any real challenge. They were just an obstacle that slowed them down on their journey.

"The Admiralty Board is one of the two main ruling parties that preside over the Flotilla", Tali explained. "Normal, day-to-day issues are handled by the captain of the ship in question. The Conclave handles most other issues, leaving the Admiralty Board as a last resort measure. They have the power to overrule a decision made by the Conclave that they feel endangers the safety of the fleet. However, once they have overruled the decision, each general must step down to prevent them from potentially abusing their power."

"Interesting, then what is the purpose of the Conclave?" Shepard asked.

"The Conclave is the main ruling Democratic party. They are responsible for the overall working of the fleet. Things such as economic issues and population control fall under their jurisdiction."

Their conversation was again interrupted when the Mako rounded a corner to see a wall blocking their path, twin turrets on either side. Picking up on the motion they swiveled towards them and unleashed a stream of bullets. Reaching to the side, Shepard switched gears, throwing the Mako into reverse and backing up around the corner. As quick as his reaction was, their shields still drained and the Mako took a couple hits. Nothing threatening but it could play a factor later.

"How did we not detect those damn turrets", Shepard demanded.

"I apologize commander, the Geth are jamming our sensors", Tali said, apologetically. "Once we pass that corner, I won't be able to detect anything."

"Hey Shepard, while we were getting shot at I noticed a path off to the right", Kaidan yelled from the back seat. "It might be a way for us to avoid those turrets and bypass that wall."

"Sounds like as good a plan as any", Shepard responded. He checked the shields on the Mako and, upon seeing that they had recovered, slammed his foot on the accelerator. His team gave out yelps of surprise at the sudden motion. The Normandy emerged from around the corner and was met with another onslaught from the turret. It did a number on their shields in the few seconds they were in the open. Then, they were careening down the side path. Shepard didn't bother stopping, simply proceeding to fly forwards blind. The next sight they saw was an open path leading down towards a squadron of Geth that were quickly becoming aware of their presence.

"Looks like the path did lead around the wall", Kaidan yelled from the back seat.

"Good call, Alenko", Shepard yelled back. The next second they heard the sound of Geth bullets knocking against their shields.

'Gonna have to make this fast', Shepard thought.

Barreling forwards through a couple of crates the Mako charged into the clearing. The crates knocked forwards, slamming into several Geth soldiers, crushing them. The remainder became target practice for Garrus. In less than a minute it was all over, though the Mako had sustained more damage from its charge into the fight. With the danger out of the way, Shepard looked around and noticed what he thought was a wall was actually a gate. On the other side of the clearing there was another gate that he presumed would continue on the path. First things first, he would have to open it first. He figured the switch was in the gate house next to it.

Parking the Mako next to the gate house, Shepard turned to address his team.

"I gotta go find the switch, you guys can just stay in here", Shepard said. "Now, Wrex, no trying to boot Garrus out of the gunner position. Kaidan, don't antagonize Garrus and Wrex. Ashley, no antagonizing Kaidan, and Tali…don't be like everyone else."

He had never felt so much like a parent. He had not had such a combustible team in years, so long ago it almost felt like another life. The Mako was so tall it was impossible to actually step out of it. It was more of a jump or fall. Once he was out of the vehicle he proceeded into the building.

There was some kind of machine or engine in the center of the room, meaning he would have to walk all the way around it if he wanted to get to the switch that he could just make out from his position. He was just rounding the corner when a large Geth trooper rushed him.

'Shit, how did I not see this thing.'

The Geth raised its weapons but before it could fire Shepard stepped closer and grabbed the gun, forcing it up and away from him. The resulting shot clanged against the roof as human and Geth struggled for dominance. Shepard could certainly be described as strong for a human, however he was up against a machine and was inevitably losing the battle. Shepard quickly pivoted, putting some distance between himself and his opponent. Before the Geth could recover he launched a _Throw_ that sent it spiraling and slamming into the wall. As it tried to return to its feet Shepard rushed forward, simultaneously reaching for the shotgun strapped to his back. He made it just in time, putting a quick two shots into the head of his opponent that had it crumpling back to the ground where it stayed.

Shepard breathed out as the adrenaline left his system, leaving him physically drained. A moment later Garrus, Ashely, and Kaidan came barging in, weapons drawn. They looked between the commander and the fallen Geth while he just stared back at them incredulously.

"What the fuck took you so long", he asked.

"Sorry Shepard, we had a little argument about who would come and who would stay with the Mako", Kaidan said apologetically. Shepard's hand twitched and he had to consciously stop himself from bringing that hand up to his forehead.

"Glad to see you have your priorities straight", he remarked, sarcastically. He proceeded to the wall and flipped the switch, watching though a window as the gate dropped, showing him the way forwards. "Well, let's get on with it before another Geth drop ship shows up for us to deal with."

-Line Break-

"So, Shepard… do you think this Liara is working this Saren? If so, what's the plan? Take her with us anyway", Wrex asked.

The small group was proceeding forwards on foot. Multiple boulders had fallen into the path, blocking their only way forwards. On foot, they were able to climb over them however it would have been impossible to get the Mako through. It wasn't long before they had run into another group of Geth, this one larger than any they had encountered. They were clearly there to block the pass and were positioned very effectively to do it.

There had been a couple close calls that he hadn't been able to predict, a fact that was still pissing him off. Thankfully any traps he hadn't seen coming had been directed at Wrex, nothing he couldn't handle. He was beginning to realize the advantages of having him on his team went beyond his prowess I battle. Turns out, even amongst Geth, priority number one was taking down the pissed off, battle crazed Krogan.

A Geth Sniper had been their biggest obstacle. It had taken several shots for Shepard to pin down its location, which he then pointed out to Garrus and watched the Turian down it. Normally it was a shot Shepard would have taken but he wanted to test out his team a little. He had already seen the punishment Wrex could absorb, not to mention dish out. It had only taken Garrus one shot to take out the Geth Sniper from well over 100 meters out. The Turian could shoot, there was no doubt about that.

"No matter what she is, foe or friendly, we're taking her with us", Shepard responded. "If she's with Saren she may have some insight into him. If she's not, then she is going to need protection. Plus having an expert on the Protheans could be a big help on this mission."

At this time, they were finally closing in on the dig site. In fact, it was so close he could see it. What alarmed him was he could not see any more Geth guarding the entrance. He had to believe there was one final squad stationed right at the entrance, it was just a matter of not falling into their trap. As they were approaching a series of crates he picked up a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Moving his gaze he picked up a strange, lizard looking Geth clinging to the top of a roof. As he watched, a red glow began to show from somewhere on its body. He had just enough time to shout a warning to his team and dive behind a crate before a red beam hit the ground right where he had been standing.

From then on it was mayhem. His team was running for cover, several crates on the other side of the clearing burst open and a squadron of Geth emerged. However, the worst was yet to come. Two Troopers made their way over to the last crate and opened it up. Inside was a folded-up piece of machinery that was unrecognizable until it activated and stood up.

'Fuck me. Out of all the things that could come out of that crate, it had to be a goddamn Armature', Shepard thought.

Tali and Wrex were currently flanking him while Garrus, Ashley, and Kaidan were crouching behind another of the remaining crates.

"Tali, any advice on how to take these things out", Shepard yelled over the sound of gunfire. Wrex was leaning around the crate and laughing as he shot. A little way away the other three members of his squad were doing the same.

"I may be able to hack into one of the Troopers", Tali suggested. "The Armature is too complex however I may be able to reprogram one of the Trooper's attack protocol, so it attacks them instead of us for a while. It will eventually correct itself, but it could do some damage in the meantime."

"How long", Shepard asked.

"Ten seconds", Tali responded. Upon getting his approval Tali switched places with him so she was in between Shepard and Wrex, away from any danger. Peeking out Shepard unleashed a couple shots with his assault rifle while he surveyed the field. He only had a second before he had to duck back into cover to avoid return fire. It looked like his teammates had done a good job taking out several Troopers, he even saw some damage to the Armature. Beside him, Tali gave out a triumphant laugh. When he next peeked out to do some damage he saw one of the Geth firing at another. It was able to do some damage before it was wiped out by the others.

From beside him he heard Wrex give out a grunt of surprise and pain. When he turned to see what happened he saw the Krogan's shields had been wiped out and it looked like his shoulder had been burned. Above them, hanging from the wall he saw that strange lizard like Geth stare at him before hopping back to the ceiling. When Shepard tried to target it, it moved again before he could get a decent shot off. He continued to follow it, now very aware of the danger it posed. He got a couple hits in however it never stayed still long enough for him to really deal a ton of damage.

'Whatever this thing is, it's really pissing me off', Shepard thought. Beside him he could see Wrex fixing himself up with Medi-gel out of the corner of his eye. The Hopper, as Shepard had taken to calling it in his head, had just made a move back to the ceiling when a loud boom echoed, and it fell to the ground. He looked over and saw a grinning Garrus give him a wave. The Turian was clutching his Sniper Rifle, which he then turned on the Armature that was making its way towards them. One good thing about the Armature for them, it was slow as hell.

Now that the Hopper had been taken care of, Shepard could divert his attention back to the rest of the battle. The Armature was the last thing remaining, the Geth it had been accompanied by littered the ground. The Armature itself had clearly taken a good amount of damage. Its shields had been completely drained, leaving it open for what Shepard had planned.

Channeling his biotic abilities, he let loose a _Warp_ on the slow-moving Armature. This should wear it down even more, leaving it prime for he and his team to finish off. It took them another few minutes however they were finally able to bring the giant down.

As much as Shepard wanted to continue forward right away, he knew they needed to take a few minutes to breath. They had been fighting and moving for a solid half-hour, ever since they had left the Mako. They had probably taken out over two dozen Geth, and that's after they had had to leave the Mako behind.

After doing a quick look around to make sure there were no more Geth in sight, Shepard flopped down to take a seat.

"Man, I wish I could take this helmet off for a few minutes", he moaned to no one in particular. Thanks to the comms in each teammates helmet, they all heard what he said. Many of them sniggered while others hummed their agreement.

"It's your own fault", Wrex chuckled. "All you other races are so sensitive."

Wrex, of course, was the only one of them not wearing a helmet. The extreme heat of the planet prevented them from being in direct contact with the atmosphere for more than a minute at a time. This wasn't a problem for a Krogan. Their species had developed on the Tuchanka, one of the galaxies roughest atmospheres. As a result, hot or cold, Krogan had the highest tolerance out of any species.

"Yea, yea. Laugh it up Wrex", Shepard remarked. "Cause there's a ton of manual labor on board the Normandy that I've been putting off. But if you're so tough then it shouldn't be a problem for you, should it."

Wrex stopped chuckling and fixed the commander with a glare that carried a clear message.

'Don't even try it.'

Shepard laughed, indicating that he was joking. However, when the Krogan had let it go and walked away his grin turned feral.

'Oh, I was quite serious', he thought to himself. He was already picturing all the things he was going to make him do once this mission was over.

-Line Break-

It was amazing the amount of reflection one can get done when they are suspended, unable to move, inside an ancient Prothean security field. It was a fact very few knew, in fact she might be the only being in the entire galaxy who did. You see, when there is nothing for you to do, not even twitch you muscles, you find your mind starts to wander. At the moment, she was contemplating the events leading up to her entrapment.

It had started exactly the same as every other day. She and the other researchers had been up at the crack of dawn to start their day. Breakfast had been the usual, subpar food while they chatted amongst themselves. Or rather, the other researchers chatted amongst themselves while she sat off to the side and read the findings from the previous day.

Looking back on it now, she wished she had made friends with the others. Or at least established a speaking relationship with them at the beginning. But she had never been the most outgoing of people, a trait rarely seen in Asari. Her people tended to be very outgoing, willing to interact with anyone that crossed their path. Just another way in which she was an outsider.

It had happened just after breakfast ended, when they were all heading into the ruins to continue their research. There was no chain of command, nor were there defined teams. Each person had received an invitation from a chain of investors inviting them to the ruins. The equipment was waiting for them, as was several staff members like the cook and general laborers. As for who was financing this expedition, she doubted anyone knew. Most likely it was a chain of investors that had no interest in putting their names on the project.

The first thing she saw was a series of strange looking ships descending from the sky. They were unlike anything she had seen before, which was saying a lot. Growing up as the daughter of a powerful and influential Matriarch, she had seen many kinds of ships belonging to every race imaginable.

The first sign she got that there was something wrong was when strange figures began to drop from these ships. At first glance, she thought them nothing more than mechs. Perhaps another gift from their investors. However, they didn't look like any mechs she had ever seen or even heard of. Then the real chaos descended. Without a word or warning, they charged into the camp. Before Liara could even comprehend what was going on, these machines were slaughtering everyone and everything in sight.

Perhaps it was a good thing she had failed to make any friends. If there were people she cared about in there she might have felt the need to go search for them. Or she would have felt much worse when she abandoned everyone and fled into the ruins. She figured she would be able to hide until they left, but that plan quickly went to hell when they began combing the ruins. She wasn't what they were searching for, however she knew she had to do something. So, she took a chance.

Liara remembered leaving the ruins for the first time since they arrived. By this time almost an entire day had passed, and the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon. Sneaking back into camp she had her way to the communications tent. Unfortunately, there had been one of the strange mechs guarding it. She did not have her pistol, having left it in her tent when she went for breakfast and failed to retrieve it afterwards. Thankfully, she was a talented biotic, even by Asari standards, and her mother had spared no expense when she was young teaching her how to use them.

The noise created by the small fight alerted several others as to her presence. She knew she had to move fast. She remembered triggering the emergency beacon before racing back out of the tent and moving for the ruins. She had hoped she would be able to get back to her hiding place without being seen. She was wrong.

She remembered looking back over he shoulder as she ran upon hearing the sound of an angry Krogan. He was pointing to her and motioning those strange mechs to chase after her. She remembered finding it strange that they were chasing her rather than simply shooting at her like they had everyone else. That was the first time she suspected they were here for her. Most likely trying to take her hostage in order to pressure her mother into doing something. It was not the first time it had happened. It was why she liked going on these long research expeditions on remote planets. There was less chance of those kinds of people knowing where she was.

Running down the mine shaft she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to hiding. They were too close, they would see her wherever she ran. It was at that time she remembered the area she had been studying the last few days. She believed it was some kind of Prothean security measure, one that would isolate her from harm until someone could respond to her signal for help. She just hoped she was right in how to activate it.

Clearly, she was not. Her current predicament was her own fault. She must have hit a wrong button and the security protocols had activated. True, it had succeeded in isolating her from her pursuers, however it had also trapped her. She couldn't deactivate it, even if she wanted to. She was suspended in mid-air when the Krogan had caught up to her. He smirked at her predicament.

"Well, well. It seems the scientist is in a bit of a predicament", he had rumbled to her. That smirk had quickly fallen away after several failed attempts to get through the blue barrier. Liara could not resist making a comment of her own.

"It appears I accomplished my task", she said. "I may be stuck here, however you can no more get to me than I can get out."

That had seemed to anger the Krogan. It wasn't an insult, but then again it had never taken much to get a Krogan agitated and this one seemed especially susceptible.

"Just you wait, Asari", he had growled back. "I promised Saren I would bring you back alive, but he didn't say anything about bringing you back unharmed. It may anger your mother, however if I get the job done, I'm sure Saren will protect me from his little bitch."

Liara felt her face get hot in anger. She did not know who this Saren was, but she knew one thing. No one controls her mother. Just as she had been about to call him every vile name she could think of she noticed a Turian approaching accompanied by another squad of mechs. It was odd, because even amongst merc groups, Krogan and Turians did not get along.

"Come now Karn, that's no way to speak to Lady Benezia's daughter", he commented. The Krogan face, which already showed clear signs of anger, somehow deepened. It appeared to her, that while they may be working together, they did not like one another. The Krogan's gaze was full of anger and hate while the Turian's face was more smug and superior.

"Stay out of this Vyrnnus", the Krogan, now identified as Karn, growled back. "Saren put me in charge of bringing her back to that Asari bitch. I'll do this my way."

"I'd be mindful of how you speak, Krogan", Vyrnnus said. "That Asari could flay you alive. And even if she couldn't, you would find yourself face to face with the most deadly Spectre in the galaxy."

Liara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother was the one to send these things after her. She was allied with a Spectre, and apparently one of the best. Was all this the will of the Council? Since when had her mother done the bidding of the Council? She had long been an advisor of the Asari Councilor, but she had always remained neutral, never getting involved in their problems. Everything she had just discovered only led to dozens more questions.

'Oh mother. What have you gotten yourself involved in', she thought to herself.

"You really think he cares about her", Karn asked, incredulously. "She may be a powerful ally, and most likely good in bed, but I doubt he actually cares about her."

That was like a blow to the face. Whoever this Spectre was, he had an intimate relationship with her mother. And it sounded as if he was simply using her for his own gain. How far had her mother fallen in the last 50 years that she would let someone get away with this?

"You're most likely right", the Turian responded. "However, she is a very valuable ally to Saren. More valuable than you, or even I. I doubt he would have a problem killing either one of us if it meant ensuring her continued aid. So, stop messing about and find a way to get to her. I detected an emergency distress beacon was launched, who knows how long it will be before someone sends help."

The Krogan grunted in frustration but nodded his head in agreement before pointing to two of the mechs.

"You two, stay here", he commander. This was no ordinary Krogan, he was a Battlemaster. "The rest of you, come with me. We need to find some way to get through this barrier."

And with that he was gone, leaving just a pair of mechs behind. Liara had faith in the Prothean's technology, however it would not hold forever. Eventually they would find a way through or around it and get to her. Who knows what would happen to her after that. She doubted her mother would hurt her, but then again from everything she had just heard she was no longer sure. This did not sound like the Lady Benezia she had known.

And with that her reminiscing ended. That was the last interesting thing that had happened. Ever since she had just been floating here and trying to think of some way to get herself out of this situation. Neither the Krogan or the Turian had returned, but she doubted they would be long now.

Her attention was drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of weapons fire. It captured the attention of the two mechs that had been guarding her for the past hours as well. Another few minutes went by and the sound of fighting got closer. The two mechs had even left their position to go investigate the sound.

Another few minutes went by and she finally detected movement. To her surprise, it was a mismatched team made of several different species. When she saw the Turian and Krogan she tensed, however soon relaxed upon realizing they were not the same ones that she had seen before. Following them were two more humans, a male and female, dressed in what she thought was Alliance military armor. The next on she noticed was as strange sight, a Quarian carrying a pistol but moving confidently. At the head of the group was a human. She couldn't tell much because of his helmet however she could see the confidence with which he carried himself. He stopped in front of the barrier and regarded her for a moment before reaching up to remove the helmet.

Liara's first impression of the man surprised her. She found him handsome, short hair on top of his head that barely rose an inch above his scalp. Running along his chin and up towards his ear she could make out a strange discoloration that she had come to learn from observing her human colonies was the result of shaving hair that existed there, a strange custom in her opinion. He was built strong, bigger than any human she had seen before, though that was hardly surprising considering the only one she had seen were intellectuals. She had overhead them explaining to one of the Salarian scientists that humans could come in a large assortment of shapes, sizes, and even colors.

Perhaps what captured her attention the most was his eyes. They were a startling shade of blue and carried an intensity that reminded her of a bolt of lightning. They were almost electrifying to look at. Figuring she should be the first one to make contact she opened her mouth to speak.

"Hello…can you hear me out there", she asked. She cringed at the desperation present in her voice, but she could not help it. She had been stuck here for so long, and she very much needed to find a restroom.

The human stared at her for another moment before grinning and replying.

"Dr. T'Soni, I presume", he asked.

She was put on guard by his knowledge of her name. Was this some kind of a trap? Whatever it was, she could not afford to be picky. Judging by what she had heard she figured these people weren't with the others. She had no choice but to trust them.

"Thank the Goddess, I did not think anyone would come looking for me", she replied. "Listen. This thing I am trapped in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of here."

"How did you end up in there?" This question was asked by the other male human in the group. He had kept his helmet on, so she could not see his face.

"I'm an archeologist that was a part of the team investigating this place. When those mechs attacked I hid in the ruins. I knew I had to get word out, so I went to the communications tent and sent the distress beacon. They saw me, so I rushed back in here. I knew this was some kind of Prothean security mechanism, so I activated it, however I must have pressed something I shouldn't have. It isolated me in here, so they cannot get to me, however I can not get out either. I cannot even move."

The human's eyes narrowed at her statement. The next to address her was the Quarian, her voice female and almost shy.

"Those things are not mechs, they are Geth", the Quarian explained.

At this Liara's eyes widened. Geth? The though had not even crossed her mind, though she had to admit it made sense. But what were the Geth doing outside of the Veil.

"Geth? What are they doing beyond the Veil", she asked.

"We are not sure yet", the human she assumed was in charge responded. "We are here investigating your connection to Matriarch Benezia. We have evidence that connect her with the Geth and their attacks on this camp as well as the human colony of Eden Prime. We also have evidence connecting her to the rogue Spectre agent Saren Arterius."

There it was. Confirmation that her mother was involved. There had still been a tiny part of her that had hoped she was wrong and the two were lying to her. This Saren she had heard about was a rogue Spectre. Just what had her mother gotten herself involved in.

"I don't know anything about my mother's connection to the Geth or this Saren person. I haven't even spoken with her in almost 50 years."

The human regarded her for another moment. Liara had never been good at lying, a fact that had gotten her in trouble several times in the past. Now, however, it may be the very thing that saved her. The human seemed to accept her answer, for now at least.

"Alright, so how are we supposed to get you out of there", he asked.

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing", she replied. "You'll have to find some way past the barrier curtain. That's the tricky part. The defenses cannot be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here. Be careful. There is a Krogan with the Geth, and a Turian as well. They have been trying to get past the barrier."

The commander's eyes lit up as soon as she mentioned the Turian.

"Did you say there was a Turian here? What was his name…was it Saren", he asked? Liara was startled by the intensity that had appeared in his voice but recovered quickly.

"No, I heard his name was Vyrnnus."

This seemed to both calm and disappoint the human however it had a rather strange effect on the other human male in the group. He visibly recoiled at the news, reaching up to remove his helmet as well and stepped forwards.

This male could also be described as handsome, with longer hair than the first and a slightly more chiseled face structure. However he just didn't induce the same reaction in her that the first did.

"That's impossible, Vyrnnus died 10 years ago. Are you sure that's not the name you heard?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

She was sure he would have continued to press her had the first male not stopped him.

"Kaidan, we don't have time for this. Once we get her out of there and on board the Normandy you can continue this little conversation", he said. The human looked as though he wanted to argue however as a stern look stopped him.

"Alright Shepard, you're right", the man, Kaidan, responded. "Got any ideas on how to get in there?"

"Well, that barrier looks solid", the now identified Shepard said. Such a strange name. "I don't think we're going to be getting through it with any of the crap we have on us right now. We're gonna have to find a way around."

"How we gonna do that, Skipper", the female human asked? "In case you hadn't noticed, that's all solid rock. I doubt a shovel and hammer are gonna do the trick. Not on the time limit we have."

She saw Shepard look around for anything he could use. When he was glancing behind him she saw his head snap to a particular spot. As much as she tried, Liara was not able to discern what exactly he was looking at, but she got an uneasy feeling when he turned and she saw the grin on his face.

"I think I might have an idea."

-Line Break-

"I'm not so sure about this, Shepard", Garrus said uncertainly.

Shepard wasn't sure what to make of Liara T'Soni. Assuming her story was true, she had managed to keep calm during a stressful time and launch a distress beacon without getting herself caught. Shepard had always thought himself a good judge of character and while he wasn't ready to say he trusted her yet, he _did_ believe her when she said she had no connection to what Benezia was doing. His first impression of her was a shy, scholar that wanted nothing more than to spend her time studying places like this. But again, he didn't even know her, so he had to remain cautious.

One thing he could say for sure. She was definitely beautiful, even for an Asari.

"Oh, lighten up, Garrus", Shepard responded. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Garrus flicked his gaze back and forth between him and the machine he was currently trying to override the safety to. If he were human, Shepard was sure he would have one eyebrow lifted. Shepard actually wasn't sure this was the best idea either, but they needed to get to T'Soni somehow. That and he _was_ sure this would be the most _fun_ way of doing it.

Finally, Shepard was able to bypass the security code and access the machines controls. A quick scan found him the button he was looking for. Now, the only thing left to do was make sure it was lined up where he wanted it. It took him a few tries to get the aim correct, but he was able to do it. He checked to make sure all his teammates were out of the way, which they were, before starting it up.

The mining laser let forth it's powerful, destructive beam. It cut through the rock underneath where the Asari was trapped. As quickly as it started he powered it off, making sure he didn't cause too much damage to these 50,000-year-old ruins. Taking a look at his handiwork, he could see the path the laser had created. It looked as though it opened up into another room, presumably the one he had been able to see beyond Liara.

Shepard moved quickly, actually running across the room and through the passage. He wanted to get her out of that barrier before that Krogan and Turian she had been talking about came back. He had already fought plenty today and was looking forward to kicking back in his cabin and drinking until he passed out.

'Wow, there's a sad thought.'

Turns out what he thought was a room was actually an old Prothean elevator. The platform had lifted the entire group up until they were looking at the back of the Asari they were trying to rescue.

'Wow, not bad. I swear I have never seen an ugly Asari.'

"Is that you, Shepard", Liara asked hopefully. Shepard briefly wondered how she knew his name before remembering Kaidan had said it earlier in front of her.

"Yeah, it's me", he replied. "Now you want to tell me what I have to hit so we can get the hell out of here?"

"There should be large button on that panel that _should_ shut down the containment field", she responded. Shepard went over to press the button however, before he could Ashley came running over to whisper to him.

"Hold on a second, Skipper. Are we sure we can trust her", she whispered. "Her mother's working with Saren, how do we know she's not working with her mother. This whole thing could be a set-up."

"I hear you Ash, but what choice do I have", he responded. "No, I don't trust her. Do I think she is working with Saren, not really. But that doesn't mean I trust her. No matter what we still need to take her with us so just keep an eye on her."

Having said what he needed to say he pressed the button and the Asari fell to the floor. It appeared as though she tried to land on her feet however he legs gave out and she collapsed, gracelessly, onto the floor. Not entirely surprising considering she just went who knows how many hours without using any of her muscles. Not to mention he had no idea when the last time she ate something was.

Moving forward, Shepard stooped down and lifted her into his arms, bridal style. He really hoped they weren't going to run into any more conflict because this would seriously hamper his ability to fight. With his new passenger in his arms he led his team back onto the elevator. Tali triggered its controls and then they were rising, moving up through layers of underground mining and towards the surface.

Shepard took this time to study the woman he had wrapped in his arms. While at first glance she appeared to be stone faced, if not slightly uncomfortable looking at her current predicament. However, being close enough Shepard could see the slight purple tint to her cheeks, signaling a blush. He had to stop himself from laughing.

"So, I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name's Shepard, commander in the System's Alliance and humanity's first Spectre."

She appeared surprised at the news he was a Spectre. Reasonable, he figured considering she had been on this dig in the middle of no where since long before he was appointed to the Spectres.

"Pleased to meet you Shepard", she responded. "I was not aware that humanity had a Spectre. Must be a fairly recent development. As I'm sure you already know, I am Dr. Liara T'Soni, archeologist and one of the galaxies foremost experts on the Protheans."

"Stick with me doc and I can make you _the_ foremost expert on the Protheans in the galaxy", he responded with a flirty wink. He didn't remember making a choice to hit on her but then again, he usually didn't. He was a terrible flirt, one of the things that had gotten him in trouble on a consistent basis in the past.

"What do you mean commander", she asked? Before he could respond the elevator came to the top. However, just as they were getting ready to make for the exit their path was blocked. Making their way towards them was an angry looking Krogan and a squad of Geth troopers. Shepard sighed, already knowing what was coming.

"Sorry, I'm gonna have to put you down for a minute", he apologized. "I have a feeling this is going to get dicey and I need to be able to move."

She nodded her consent and Shepard slowly lowered her to the ground. This would be an interesting fight. There were no clear places where he could take cover, meaning this was going to get hectic _real quick_.

Even more so when he heard the Krogan next to him start to growl like a pissed off animal. Glancing to his left, he saw Wrex's eyes alight with recognition and fury. Whoever this was, he and Wrex had a history.

"Jurdon Karn", Wrex shouted, voice shaking with rage.

"Urdnot Wrex", the Krogan growled back. "It's been a long time since our fight on Tuchanka."

"And I have spent every day since then searching for you and dreaming of the day I would finally kill you", Wrex replied.

"You were not strong enough to kill me back then, what makes you think anything would be different now", Karn asked.

"You fled like a coward before our fight could be decided. You got away from me then, a mistake I will not allow to be repeated."

Shepard watched the strange exchange between the two dangerous individuals. He had never seen so much talking between two Krogan, period, let alone before a fight. It was quite an odd sight to see. A sentiment that was echoed by the newest arrival into the room.

"Well now. Who would have thought I would ever need to tell two Krogan to stop talking and get to the fighting?"

Looking towards the exit, Shepard saw a single Turian walking towards them. The first thing he noticed was his face. It was quite disfigured, as though it had almost been caved in at some point. Despite that, he carried himself with no shame, striding in like he owned the place. And there was something about him as well. The energy in the room seemed to shift, a sign he had only seen from one type of person before. This Turian was a powerful biotic, no question about that.

He watched as the Turian's gaze slid over each one of them, sizing each of them up like an experienced soldier would. However, his gaze stopped on one particular member of his team. Kaidan.

"Oh, lucky me", he said, his face lighting up into a feral Turian grin. "I never thought I would get the chance to run in to you again. At least not before I went hunting."

It was difficult for Shepard to see Kaidan's face with his helmet on, but the little he could see surprised him. Kaidan face was white, as if he had seen a ghost.

"This is impossible", Kaidan said, voice trembling. "You should be dead. I killed you."

The Turian laughed, though his eyes held anything but amusement. There was an intensity in them that reminded Shepard of his own whenever he was closing in on a target that had made things personal.

"You very nearly did", the Turian admitted. "However, I was able to survive. But it came at a cost." He ran a clawed hand down the right side of his face, the side that had been scarred. "A price I will now take from you."

With that the Turian sprinted towards them, a blue haze surrounding him in what Shepard recognized as a _Barrier_. And just like that the standoff was over. The sound of gunfire filled the air as the two Krogans crashed together. The Turian made a beeline for Kaidan before he was tackled by Shepard, a _Barrier_ of his own surrounding him as the two collided. He wasn't sure what the history was between this guy and Alenko, but he knew he was the better biotic. He may not be close with the lieutenant, but he liked him well enough. Plus, he had a bit of a protective streak when it came to his teammates.

To the Turian's credit, he recovered quickly, driving his fist into Shepard face. The next minute the two were grappling on the ground, fighting for dominance. The Turian threw another punch at the commander's face, however this time he was ready for it. Gripping his opponent's arm, he blocked the strike. Twisting around, he wrapped his arm around the Turians neck, using his legs to trap his arms to his side.

Turians were notoriously tough, their thick skin usually prevented them from getting choked out. However, by applying one's biotics, enough force could be created to snap their neck. Seeing the disadvantage, he was in, the Turian acted quickly, driving a serious of elbow strikes into Shepard's ribs. Finally, the pain was too much, and he released his hold, rolling away from the Turian, who did the same. They both rolled up onto one knee, launching a pair of biotic _Throws_. Neither were quick enough to dodge, launching them across the room.

Shepard crashed into one of the support beams, striking his head against the metal. Shaking his head to clear the blurriness of his vision, Shepard looked around the room to see how everyone else was faring. Wrex had managed to wrestle the other Krogan to the ground and was continuously driving his fist into his face. However, from the looks of him Wrex had sustained heavy damage as well. Everyone else was moving around, exchanging weapons fire in between blasts of electronic and biotic energy.

As he finally made his way back to his feat he felt the room shake. At first, he was convinced he had a concussion however, upon looking at everyone else and the way they were reacting he realized that really happened. Taking advantage of this break he made his way back over to Liara.

"What's happening here doc", he asked.

"I don't know", she replied. "How did you get through the rock to rescue me?"

"I used the mining laser", he responded. He could tell from the look on her face that that probably had not been the right decision.

"What, the laser. These ruins are _not_ stable. The use of the laser has triggered a seismic event that could destroy these entire ruins. We need to get out of here."

"What makes you think I would let you leave", the Krogan asked. At some point he and Wrex had disengaged. For a minute it looked like they would start fighting again however that was stopped before it could begin.

Another tremor had a part of the ceiling caving in, dividing the two parties. Shepard looked to his right at the light coming from the outside.

"We gotta run", he yelled over the noise to his team. And with that they were sprinting for the exit, dodging fallen rocks and looking for the next piece of the ceiling to fall.

Somehow, they were able to make it across the room without getting squashed. Shepard was in the lead until he heard a yelp from behind him. Turning he saw Liara, the very person they had come here to find, bringing up the rear. She was stumbling every couple of steps and moving slowly on the ones she wasn't. Sighing loudly, Shepard raced back to her, gathering her up in his arms. Behind her he could see the Krogan and Turian racing this way as well.

Shepard was the last one to reach the exit. Above he could see the piece of ceiling over the exit about to be free. With the two enemies quickly closing in on him he turned to his passenger with an idea.

"Liara, can use your biotics to collapse the part of the ceiling directly above us", he asked.

"I can, but why would you want me to?" She responded.

"I'm going to trap those two in here, so we can escape. With any luck, they'll never get out", he replied. Liara looked a little taken aback by his answer however nodded her head and, using a _pull_ directed at the ceiling, broke free the already loose rocks. Shepard took a step into the tunnel leading to the surface and turned to watch. It wouldn't be enough. At the pace they were going, the two would make it to the tunnel before it was sealed off. So, using a _Throw_ that managed to hit them both, he sent them flying backwards. Whether they were hit by another piece of falling rock he would never know as the boulder Liara had torn loose fell, blocking the room from sight.

Now that the imminent danger was over he turned and ran to catch up with the rest of his team. Gazing down at the Asari in his arms he said,

"Well Doctor T'Soni, may I interest you in a ride off this planet."

 **Author's Note:**

 **Back to regular chapter length with this one. Hopefully no one waited too long for this one. Next chapter will be another filler between missions. Coming up we'll see the crew of the Normandy interact with each other as well as the post-mission discussion.**

 **As you may have seen in this chapter and the previous, this story will have some new ideas that differ from the story. I will continue to stick with the plot of the video game, only add in what I hope will enhance the story and make it so you are not simply reading a novelization of the game.**

 **As always thanks for reading. Please Follow, Favorite, and** _ **comment**_ **. I know I say this after every chapter, but I can't help it. I like to see comments. Whether it's reviews on how the story is, questions you may have for me, or anything else. Remember, your interest in this story is what inspires me to write and update faster.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you all will join me for the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

****Updated****

 **I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.**

 _ **Warning: Strong language**_

 _ **Note: Important author's note at the end. Please make sure you read it.**_

 **Chapter 8: Team Meetings and Other Headaches**

 _The attack on the human colony of Mindoir was a major incident in the decades long struggle between humanity and the Batarians. In the year 2170, Batarian slavers attacked the small colony, killing or enslaving three quarters of the colonies population and fleeing before the Alliance could mount any kind of defense._

 _The event was, undoubtably, a tragedy. Many children lost their parents, while many parents lost their children. And, worst of all, many families were completely wiped out, either killed or taken prisoner. One such child to lose his family was John Shepard, the first human Spectre. It has been many decades since that day and the people of Mindoir have rebuilt. The colony is once more the thriving settlement it was before the attack, thanks in large part to Shepard and a truly impressive amount of Alliance colonization advertisements built around the man._

" _Take to the Stars; Humanity's First Colonization Efforts", by Derek Sterling. Year 2188._

-Line Break-

It had been a close call, however Shepard was able to get both himself and his team back to the Mako and loaded onto the Normandy. Turns out, the collapse of the Prothean ruins had held far greater consequences, destabilizing the already volcanic region.

Now, two hours later the team along with their newest passenger were gathered in the briefing room. He was expecting a call from the Council in the coming few minutes, so this couldn't last long, which was fine with him. He hated having to give these speeches and team meetings. He really was not suited for a military life but what was he gonna do? That was the path he had been put on, the one he had chosen.

He looked around the room and noticed the tension that seemed to radiate from his teammates. He absentmindedly shuffled an old deck of cards as he did so. The source of the conflict was clear, the blue skinned Asari they had picked up earlier that day. She had spent the next few hours being examined by Dr. Chakwas in the ship's medbay and resting from her ordeal. Thankfully, all Alliance medical staff were required to be familiar with alien autonomy. This left Shepard with the difficult task of deciding what to do with the doctor.

As tense as everything was, Ashley still picked up on the interesting object in Shepard's hands.

"Hey, Skipper. What is that?" She asked. It wasn't all that surprising that she wouldn't be familiar with a deck of cards considering everything was digital nowadays. "Is that an actual deck of cards?"

"Yes, it is, Williams", he responded. "Back when humanity was still stuck on Earth a deck of cards was the basis for more games than I can count, particularly when there was betting involved. The games are still around but nowadays they're played using a virtual one, that way you don't need to carry the deck around."

"I think I have played one such game", Liara commented, blushing when everyone turned towards her. "A few humans were playing it on one of my past expeditions and they showed me how. I'm afraid I wasn't very good at it, I lost a good amount of credits."

Shepard laughed.

"Yea, that'll happen to first time players", he said. "I bet when they heard you didn't know how to play they targeted you to get some extra credits. That's why one of the best scams is pretending you don't know how to play so they lower their guards. I can't even tell you how many times I used that one when I was living on the streets."

Everyone's heads snapped back in surprise. Hearing that their commander had at one point in his life been living on the streets was shocking. Though on the other hand, it did provide an explanation for the dark edge to him.

"So, why do you have an actual deck of cards", Kaidan asked, trying to change the subject.

"It was a gift from someone I used to know a long time ago", Shepard replied. "I've had it ever since. Gives me something to do when I get bored."

It may have been pointless small talk, but it had succeeded in lifting a lot of the tension that had been hovering in the room. Now he was comfortable moving on with business.

"Now that that's out of the way, time to get this meeting going", Shepard continued. "The sooner we start, the sooner we can all get some rest."

Taking a break Shepard reached down to the floor and picked up a small canteen and brought it to his lips, taking a drink. Wrex, who was seated closest to him, caught a whiff of the liquid and his eyes lit up.

"Wow, Shepard. Is that alcohol?" He asked. "And here I thought the Alliance was too uptight to allow their officers to drink on duty."

"They do", Kaidan commented, fixing the commander with a small glare. "How could you hold out on me like that?"

"Do whatever you guys want", Shepard replied. "Technically this whole ship is on loan to the Council so there can be some debate as to whose laws we need to follow. But more than anything else, I'm not going to report anyone for having alcohol on the ship. Hell, I'd be a hypocrite if I did. I'm not a strict guy, as long as whatever you do doesn't bring me any attention or extra paperwork from the higher-ups do what you want."

"I wish you had let us know before we left the Citadel", Wrex joked.

"Like you didn't sneak any onto the ship", Garrus said, amused. Wrex glared at the Turian for a moment before a small chuckle escaped him, conceding the point.

"Now, back to business", Shepard interrupted, his voice showing clear signs of annoyance. "As you can see, we have picked up a new passenger. Dr. T'Soni has agreed to answer our questions to the best of her ability so if everyone would keep a civil tone. I really don't want to deal with a pissed off Tevos because we were rude to the daughter of an important Matriarch."

"Isn't said Matriarch a galactically wanted criminal currently on the run from every Council race this side of the Skyllian Verge", questioned Kaidan. Everyone could see Liara tense up, fists clenching by her side. However, to her credit, she kept quiet. Not showing any other outwards sign of anger.

"Doesn't matter", he replied. "Now, Dr. T'Soni. Is there anything at all you could tell us about your mother? Where she might be, some places she liked to go in the past, any other connections we could use to trace back to her?"

"First of all, commander, please just call me Liara. Dr. T'Soni is far too formal", Liara responded. Shepard smiled kindly at her in an attempt to ease her nervousness. It appeared to work, if only a little.

"Thank you, Liara. Please feel free to call me Shepard", he said. Liara smiled as well and tipped her head slightly in acknowledgement. Beside her, Ashley tensed at the interaction between the two but kept control of her emotions.

"I wish there was something I could tell you", said Liara. "It's just like I said on Therum, I have not spoken to my mother in many years. Any information I could give you would be regarding her immense business network, and even that would most likely be out of date."

"Let us be the judge of that. I want you to give a list of contacts you can remember to Ashley, particularly ones that may be overlooked by an official report."

"As you wish commander."

Liara looked as though she wanted to interject however was nervous to do so. Catching her eye, he gave a small nod to indicate she was free to speak.

"I would just like to thank all of you for rescuing me from the Geth", she said. "If you had not, there is no telling what would have happened to me. The Geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to Saren."

"And why would they have dragged you off to him", Kaidan asked. "Why were they after you in the first place? I doubt it was only because of your mother. What do you know about the Conduit?"

"Very little, I'm afraid", Liara responded. "That word does not come up often in the Prothean's history. In fact, I only know of it being mentioned once, in some old records discovered about 20 years ago. There was no mention as to its purpose nor why it was created, however I do know it was around the time of the Prothean's extinction."

"That makes sense", Ashley exclaimed. "It must have been a weapon they created to try to drive back the Reapers."

Shepard gave a glare that had Ashley shrinking back in her seat. She was, at first, not sure what she had done to upset him. However, the Asari's next question cleared things up.

"I'm sorry, what are the Reapers", she asked.

Shepard continued to glare at Ashley for another few seconds before sighing in irritation and turning his gaze to focus back on Liara. This wasn't something he had planned on explaining to her.

"According to information we pulled from a Geth's memory banks, the Reapers were a race of hyper-advanced artificial intelligence's that were supposedly responsible for wiping out the Protheans 50,000 years ago" Shepard explained.

He could practically hear the gears working in her mind as she processed this new information. He could not say he had much experience with scientists, but he had to wonder if they all acted like this or if it was just her.

"Yes, I suppose that theory makes some semblance of sense", she admitted after much thought. "The biggest mystery in my field of study is, what happened to the Protheans? At one point, their empire stretched across the entire galaxy, yet over the course of a single century they were wiped out. Now, that may seem like a long time, however in terms of a galaxy wide extinction it is remarkably short, especially because it does not appear as though another civilization was responsible for it."

"So, your saying you think they were wiped out", Kaidan asked.

"It seems the most likely conclusion. And what's more, according to my research they were not the first."

That certainly caught everyone's attention.

"What do you mean they were not the first", Tali asked.

"Granted, this theory is not verified and was developed by myself, however based off my research, but everything I have found points to a pattern" Liara explained. "A great civilization would rise up before being violently cast down. This cycle goes back millions of years, and that is simply the evidence that I have found, there is no telling how long this cycle has really been existed."

Shepard's mind was being overloaded. If the Reapers were truly responsible for the destruction of the Prothean Empire, and there truly was a history of this happening before the first Prothean was even born, it begged a simple question. How old were the Reapers? And how many other civilizations had they destroyed? Apparently, he wasn't the only one to have this thought.

"Keelah", Tali said, breathlessly. "Are you saying the Protheans may not have been the first civilization the Reapers destroyed?"

"Assuming you are correct in the existence of these 'Reapers', I would say it is a likely possibility", Liara responded. "Of course, there is much more research to be done, including conclusively proving the existence of these machines."

"If you can find some way to prove it, please send the evidence to the Council", Shepard requested. "They won't even _consider_ the _possibility_ that the Reapers exist."

Liara was silent for a minute, as though considering what she wanted to say. However, he could never have predicted what she was going to ask next.

"If that is the case, I would like to request that I remain with you on your mission. I would not only like to find my mother, but I would like to remain with you for my career. I have a feeling I may learn more by helping you on your mission than I would spending another century searching the galaxy for another lead."

Shepard had to admit, it made a certain amount of sense to have her remain with them, even join them on some of the ground excursions. For one thing, she was an Asari, meaning she was bound to have some kind of biotic talent. For another, she could help him make sense of any other connections to the Protheans they may come across. He had a feeling the answer they were searching for would be found in the past. It appeared Kaidan had caught on to a different part of that statement.

"Wait, another hundred years? How old are you exactly?"

"It is difficult for me to admit, but I am only 106 years old. I believe that it is the main reason why my work is not receiving the proper attention that it deserves."

Meanwhile, everyone was still stuck on her announcement that she was over 100 years old. Also, the fact that she said it like it was no big deal.

"Wow, 100 years old. I hope I look as good as you when I get to be your age", Ashley exclaimed.

"That aside", Shepard interrupted, "yes, you may stay on this ship. I assume you have some control over your biotics that may prove useful in a fight."

"Indeed", Liara replied. "My mother ensured that I had the finest instructors available to see to my schooling. I was told I was quite the natural. In addition, I do have some basic training with standard firearms."

"Good, consider yourself a part of the team", Shepard declared. "Ashley will assign you your firearms, see Dr. Chakwas so she can approve you for active duty, and check in with XO Pressly so he can deal with the paperwork. Alright, good meeting everyone. Now, if anyone needs me I'll be in my room, drinking until I fall asleep."

"Wait, Shepard. While we're all here, do you think you should ask her about your vision", Garrus asked. His comment instantly drew the attention of one curious Asari, swiveling in her chair so her vision was centered on him.

"What vision is this?", she asked.

Shepard hesitated. On the one hand it would be good to get the opinion of an actual Prothean expert. However, on the other hand he still wasn't sure she could be trusted.

'I'm usually a good judge of character, but when it comes to girls my judgement gets hazy. Like that time on Omega when I went home with that stripper and woke up tied to the bed with my Omni-tool missing', he thought.

That had been one hell of a day. It had taken him several hours to track her down and retrieve his property. Thankfully he had upgraded his Omni-tool's security, so she hadn't been able to hack into it yet.

'Ah, to hell with it.'

"About a week ago, we received a mission to retrieve a rather sensitive package from a human colony named Eden Prime", Shepard explained. "It turned out to be a working Prothean Beacon."

-Line Break-

Liara could feel her eyes widen in both surprise and excitement. Finding any kind of working Prothean technology was extremely rare. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the way the universe worked. You could spend half a century combing the galaxy for any sign of Prothean artifacts. Then the newest species to galactic space travel just happen upon what could be the greatest historical find of the century.

"You found a working Beacon? Where is it? What was it like?" She asked excitedly. She could immediately tell from the expressions of the humans around the room that she would not like the answer.

"It blew up", the female human, she thinks her name is Ashley, responded. "We weren't the only ones to know about the Beacon. A group of Geth, led by our target Saren, attacked the colony to get the Beacon. They weren't able to transport it off world however Saren did gain access to it. When we got there, it transmitted some kind of vision into Shepard's head before it exploded."

Liara took a minute to let herself process this new information. The destruction of the Beacon was devastating, however there was still a bright spot. She was in the presence of a man who had experienced its effects.

"It is exceedingly rare to come across a working Beacon", Liara said. "Protheans used these to communicate across vast distances by downloading the message directly into their minds."

"Yea, I definitely got some weird images from that thing", Shepard responded. "But I definitely wasn't able to pick any sort of message out of the damn thing, it was too chaotic."

"That's understandable", Liara admitted. "Prothean Beacons were designed to communicate with Prothean minds. What may seem like a nonsense set of images to you, would prove to be completely understandable to a Prothean."

"That's interesting and all, but how does that help us discern its meaning", Tali asked.

Liara thought about it for a minute. It's true, her knowledge could prove useless, therefor prove herself worthless. These people may be working for the Council, but she didn't know them. Until she was able to determine who they were and get to know them better, it was in her best interest to prove herself a valuable player in this game. Not for the first time, she found herself resenting her mother.

Even growing up, Liara remembered her mother as being a powerful and influential Matriarch. One who many leaders from across the galaxy would go to for advice. From an early age, Liara had felt the pressure to be like her mother, even if it didn't come from her mother herself. But she had no interest in following in her mother's footsteps. Instead, she had found another calling. Yet here she was, drawn into her mother's world. No matter the distance she run, she couldn't escape who she was.

"If I may put forth an idea", she asked, uncertainly. It may be the best she could up with, but she doubted they would be happy about it. Especially Shepard. He gave off this aura of a man shrouded in secrets.

"I'm listening", he responded, skeptically. She could tell from the look on his face. He knew, whatever she was going to propose, he wasn't going to like it.

"Humans are not used to having other's ideas put into their head, however, for Asari, that process is part of our culture. If you'll allow me, I could meld my mind with yours. I could help you piece the images together, perhaps drawing a clearer idea as to the message."

-Line Break-

Well, Shepard was right. He didn't like the idea. In fact, he would even go so far as to say he hated it. Now, he had been with his fair share of Asaris. Hell, he had been with many men's fair share of Asaris. But there was one thing he had never allowed during any of his experiences, and that was melding. There was too much he wanted to keep hidden, too many things he had sworn to take with him to his grave.

But, on the other hand, he wasn't sure he could afford _not_ to get her help. The fate of the fucking galaxy could rest on him and his crew, no thanks to the god damn Council. Could he afford to be selfish here? Normally he would say yes. Hell, he had been selfish his entire life. It was how he survived. Look after number one and to hell with everyone else. The only problem was, this could affect the life of the one person in the entire galaxy that he really gave a damn about. His sister, Jane.

Sure, he cared about his old friends like Rita, Jenna, and their mom. Hell, he had even come to care about Aria in a strange, fucked up sort of way. But when shit got real, and he had to make a life or death choice, Jane was the only person he would choose over himself. Call that selfish or whatever you want, he wouldn't apologize for it.

"Ok, one question before I even begin to consider this", he said. "If we do this melding thing, is there any way to control what you see or do you just get everything?"

"It should be fairly simple to find the message and view it without needing to dig into the rest of your memories", she responded. "The vision itself should stand out because it was implanted into you, instead of created by you. Also, judging by what you have said, it happened recently. Correct?"

Shepard nodded in confirmation, waiting patiently to hear what she had to say.

"Alright", she continued. "Since it is fresh, it should be even easier to locate. Now, if you agree to give me access to your mind we can begin right now."

Even though he knew what his answer was going to be, still he hesitated. He had spent years of his life learning and perfecting the art of keeping people out. No matter how much he knew it to be necessary, that was a hard habit to break. Finally, he gave out a long sigh and nodded his head in agreement, already dreading what was about to happen.

"You must prepare yourself, Shepard", she warned. "This will be a very intense experience. It may leave you drained and shaken, but I believe it will be well worth it in the end. Now, calm your mind. Let your thoughts reach out, beyond your body and into the universe around you…towards me. Now… **Embrace Eternity**.

-Line Break-

She may have been an Asari, but she did not have much experience with Melding. In fact, the _only_ experience she had had was when she was just beginning to mature, a time she understood humans called being a teen, with her best friend as a way to sate their curiosity and get in some practice. Once she had left to pursue her hunt for Prothean artifacts she had not had any desire to do so again. She had had a few physical flings here and there, often separated by years in between, but that was all.

There was always that strange moment of anticipation. Her mind extended beyond her body, searching out Shepard's as it crossed the room. Then, she found it. For a human he was remarkably good at preparing his mind for someone else's. As their minds met, they wove together, intertwining until it became impossible to determine where one ended and the other began.

Over the half-century she had been joining archeological digs she had had many conversations with her fellow colleagues. Not so much lately, she tended to be more isolated over the last decade or so. But when she had first started she had been the sheltered daughter of a powerful Matriarch, and so was desperate for any kind of contact with others. One question she had constantly run into during these conversations was that of Asari Melding, and what it felt like.

Over decades of conversations, she still had yet to find a way to properly describe the feeling of connecting to another being. The answer she had taken to giving, one she had started using after the first decade, was the only way to describe it was to experience it. Of course, that usually led to some follow up questions that usually ended with the other person asking if she could do it with them. At which point she would politely decline before kindly, but sternly, telling them to leave.

His mind was so unlike her old friends. Shiala's mind had been so open, so welcoming to her own. Shepard's mind was guarded, reluctant to allow her any kind of entrance. Casting her mind over his, she searched for the irregularity she wanted. It may have taken a moment, but she finally located it. Again, it would be difficult to explain to anyone who may ask. The best she could do was it was like a color that was similar to the others, but still different. Like a drop of light blue in a sea of regular blue. And then the vision was upon her, drawing her in like a magnet until she could not have escaped if she wanted to.

 _Death_

 _Destruction_

 _A strange world_

 _Machines_

 _Darkness_

 _And then, everything changed. She was on a small world, looking at a pair of human children playing in a field. It was impossible for her to tell the age, she did not have near enough experience with humans to accurately venture a guess, yet somehow, she still knew it. The boy in front of her was eight years old with the girl two years younger at the age of 6. The boy was currently running and laughing, glancing back at the giggling girl that was chasing him._

" _John, Jane. It's time for lunch."_

 _The children stopped to look back at the house in the distance. The voice calling them was female, the outline of her barely visible on the porch of the house._

" _Come on, Jane. It's time to go back", the boy said to the girl. Turning around, he gestured to his back and, getting the hint, the girl giggled and jumped John's back. Hooking his arms under her legs, he took off running towards the house, smiling at the laughing girl clinging to his back. They were about one hundred yards from the house when a large boom rocked the world. Turning around at the same time as the boy, she saw a large explosion coming from the direction of the world's main colony. Looking up into the sky, she was able to see a fleet of large ships descending onto the world._

 _The boy turned and looked at the door, where the woman who had called them and a broad-shouldered man was staring out at the colony. Then there eyes went wide, and Liara could see several of the ships leaving the colony and heading out towards the farms, on heading directly for them. As it got closer, she was able to identify the kind of ship it was. Batarians._

" _John, take your sister into the woods and stay there", the man said. "You need to hide, and don't come out until you see the Alliance."_

" _What about you?", he asked._

" _I said go…NOW", the man roared. The small boy flinched back before gripping his sisters hand, she had slid off his back at some point while they were talking and taking off. Liara was dragged along with them. Once they had reached the border of the forest they looked back to see one of the ships had landed next to their house. And then the boy was pulling the girl into the trees and away from the sight behind them._

And then she was stumbling away, falling to the floor of the Normandy. Looking around she saw that everyone was moving most to check on Shepard while the Turian came towards her, looking somewhat threatening. Looking over she saw Shepard had collapsed into one of the chairs. He was glaring at her accusingly.

"I thought… you said you were… only going to see the… vision", he said. He was breathing hard and his face was covered in a thin layer of sweat. It was at that time Liara was able to realize what had happened. That boy she had seen, that was Shepard. She had heard of the Batarian slavers attack on Mindoir. She just did not know he was one of the colonists that day.

The female human, Ashley, turned on her next. Her tone of voice was just as accusing as his had been.

"What did you do to him", she demanded.

"I apologize", Liara responded. "I was able to view the vision however I got pulled into another memory somehow. Your mind must have made a connection between the two and I got swept along in it."

She could see him exhale angrily. Rising to his feet, though he still looked a bit unsteady, he waved off the members of his team that were moving to help him.

"Alright, I think that's enough for one meeting. Everyone out. Liara I want you to get some rest and come see me in my cabin tomorrow. There are some things I need to talk to you about." He said. As everyone started to file towards the exit a message over the intercom had them pausing.

"Commander, I have the Council trying to contact us. Should I patch them through?" The voice was male, though nowhere near as deep as Shepard's. She saw a clear look of annoyance and exasperation on his face before he responded.

"Yea, put them through."

The last sight she caught was of him schooling his features and looking very much alone.

-Line Break-

"So, Commander, I hear you were able to track down the daughter of Matriarch Benezia", Valern, the Salarian Councilor commented. "I assume you are taking the necessary precautions."

"What's that supposed to mean", he asked.

"It means don't let her get her hands on anything valuable she could pass along to Benezia", the Turian Councilor, Sparatus, interrupted. "I know you may be quick to trust her, but the Council is not so naïve. I want her kept away from any information related to us or the Alliance."

"Don't lecture me, _Councilor_ ", Shepard responded. There was a layer of thinly veiled anger clear in his voice, which took on a mocking tone when addressing him by his title. Even looking at his hologram, Shepard could see the anger on his face. He had always had a knack for pissing people off, but even for his standards, this was too easy.

"We are not trying to lecture you, Shepard", Tevos interrupted before things got out of hand. "We are simply looking to protect ourselves from any possible threats. What you do with Dr. T'Soni is up to you, within reason. Please remember, even though Benezia is working Saren, she is powerful and influential Matriarch. I hope you will treat her daughter as an honored guest until we can determine whether she is guilty or not."

"You don't need to worry, Councilor", he replied. "No matter what this Turian may think, I'm not an utter asshole. Dr. T'Soni has agreed to join my team and, as such, she will be treated like any other. She will be afforded all the comforts and protections I offer every other teammate."

Tevos looked slightly disapproving, no doubt thinking Liara should be afforded more preferential treatment than that. Sparatus had a similar look, though most likely due to a person of interest being an active member of a Spectre's team. Valern, as usual, showed no outwards reaction at all.

"What is your next step from here, Commander", the Salarian asked.

"Well, as of right now we don't have any leads to track down", he answered, after taking a moment to think things through. "Liara has given us the names of some companies that Benezia had ties to. We are already looking into them, hopefully that'll give us a lead of some kind. Until then I will be returning to the Citadel. There are some things I need to take care of."

"Very well. Send us that list of connections and we will see if we can uncover anything", the Asari said.

"Hang on a second", Sparatus cut in, angrily. "You have business on the Citadel? What business is that? You are now a Spectre, on a mission from the Council. You can't just go running around wherever you want…"

He probably had more to say, but Shepard was exhausted and really did not feel like dealing with this right now. There was a bottle of whiskey waiting for him in his cabin with his name on it.

"I really don't want to deal with this bullshit", he cut in. "Joker, cut the transmission."

"Don't you dare…"

"Transmission terminated, Commander", came the pilot's voice over the ship's intercoms. "They're not going to be happy with that."

"Right now, I really don't care. If anyone else calls, tell them I'm not available", he responded. Without another word he walked out of the room, the door hissing closed behind him.

-Line Break-

He wasn't really sure how he had gotten into this position, but he couldn't say it was terrible. While drinking, itself, was fun. There was just something better about drinking with a group. Like he was currently doing right now. It seemed every male member of his team, plus Jenkins, had showed up and filed into his room. The news that he had alcohol drawing them in like bees to honey. Or mercs to a strip club.

"So, anyone here got a girl waiting for them when this mission is over", Kaidan asked.

Wrex gave out a short grunt-like laugh. Shepard took that for a no. Garrus, apparently, had a little more to say on the subject.

"Not for a while", he said. Shepard jumped at the opportunity to tease him a little.

"Uh-oh, I smell a story. So…what happened."

Garrus looked hesitant for a second, draining the rest of his Turian Brandy before going for a refill. Finally, he began his story.

"Her name was Artemira. We grew up together on Palaven, went through military training together, the whole thing", he began. Everyone leaned back and got comfortable. This was likely to be a long story.

"We were together for a couple years before I left to be a C-Sec officer. She was a little younger, a year to be exact, so the plan was for her to finish her training and then move in with me on the Citadel."

"Ooh, big mistake", Shepard interrupted. "Long-distance relationships don't work."

"I'm going to have to agree with you there, Shepard", the Turian conceded. "About three months after moving, I met this Asari, Miria."

"I can see where this is going", Kaidan said. Wrex laughed. It appeared the Krogan had come to investigate Shepard's liquor supply, but had clearly not expected Garrus to show up as well. He had not appeared overly aggressive, despite the Krogan species' long, and well-founded hatred of both the Turian and Salarian species. Still, he had refused to speak to him. It was something Shepard was going to need to keep tabs on.

"Indeed. I was immediately attracted to her, but I had Artemira. Still, it had been months since I had last seen her and eventually my self-control slipped. One night, she and I went out to a nightclub and I had a little too much to drink. The rest of the night is hazy, but I remember going back to my place and waking up next to her."

"Shit man, I'm guessing your girlfriend found out", Kaidan asked.

"If it was just the one time, probably not", the Turian replied, somehow looking both guilty and sheepish. And…was that a little pride in there?

"Damn, Turian. Didn't know your species had it in them", Wrex commented. Everyone looked at him in surprise. He had actually spoken to Garrus.

"Yes, well. It's not something I am particularly proud of", Garrus responded. Shepard huffed softly, he doubted that. "Our affair continued for about a month before things went to hell. Artemira decided to come visit me on the Citadel one day. She wanted it to be a surprise, so she didn't tell me beforehand. She walked in on me and Miria…well…you know. Needless to say, she didn't stick around after that. I gave her enough credits to purchase a last-minute ticket on the next shuttle back to Palaven. Haven't seen or spoken to her since."

"That sucks, man", Kaidan commented. "But at least you still had Miria. What ever happened between you and her?"

"I believe you humans would call it Karma", responded Garrus. "We were together for a month before I caught _her_ cheating on _me_. I suppose that is what I get."

"Ah, don't feel too bad Garrus", Kaidan said. "I think we all have one of those stories. Mine wasn't with anyone serious. Didn't mean she wasn't pissed off about it. I swear it took my nuts about two weeks to drop again."

Wrex and Garrus looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean 'your nuts'", Garrus asked.

"And why do they need to drop?" Wrex continued.

"Just forget it. I'll explain it to you later", Shepard interrupted before the conversation could continue. "Long story short…she kicked him in his man-parts."

"Oh", Wrex chuckled. "Wait…does that mean human man-organs can…"

"Moving on", He interrupted again. He was too tired and nowhere near drunk enough to have this conversation.

"So…Commander. Do you have any interesting stories to share with the group", Kaidan asked.

And suddenly Shepard wished he had kept his mouth shut. That or left to dup in to his emergency stash of alcohol he had hidden in the cargo bay. He took an extra long drink, hoping they would take the hint and leave him alone. No good. They just kept staring at him.

Shepard sighed.

"Alright fine. First of all Garrus, compared to me you're a saint. You cheated on your girlfriend with one Asari…call me when that becomes a regular occurrence. There's an old human saying, 'out of sight out of mind'. That could define every relationship I've ever had. Starting in my teen years, I had to travel a lot for my job. Turns out I'm not so good at the whole 'staying faithful' thing. Eventually just gave it up. Haven't had an actual girlfriend in years."

"Shit man, that's heavy", Kaidan commented.

"What's heavy?" Wrex asked.

"Nothing, never mind", Kaidan responded. "So, commander. What's our plan for finding Saren? Did the Council give you any leads?"

"Not yet", he responded. "I forwarded that list Liara made to see if they could find anything specific. Until then, I've got some business on the Citadel that I need to take care of. We should be getting there in a couple hours, should only be spending a day or so there. I'm not gonna need any help so while we're there, consider yourselves on break. Just don't do anything that's gonna need me to bail you out of C-Sec…yea, I'm looking at you Wrex."

Wrex chuckled guiltily. After that, there was nothing but a few minutes of silence as they focused on the drinks in their hands. As usual, Kaidan was the one to break the streak.

"So, you gonna tell us anything about your days on the street?"

"I doubt it", Shepard responded.

'I am _this_ close to kicking them out of my room…literally.'

"Oh, come one Shepard", he whined. Receiving only a stern look in reply, he sighed and reluctantly let it go. "Alright, fine. So, wanna give us some more info on that deck of cards you were carrying?"

Shepard reached into his pocket and withdrew said object. He took a minute to stare at it fondly before passing it over the Kaidan.

"I guess you'll get a little bit of both", he said. "I'm sure you remember from the Council meeting that I ran away from the orphanage I was staying at. Unfortunately, I had no idea how hard it was going to be… living on the streets. I was half-dead by the end of my second week. That's when _he_ found me."

"Who", Wrex asked.

"His name was Mike. I have no idea what his last name was, he never told anyone. He was an older guy, somewhere in his thirties. He had brown hair, average height. He was a pretty influential figure in the neighborhood's gang, the 12th Street Reds. They were a small-time gang, just getting started and building up power in the giant city that is New York. Anyway, he found me, homeless, on the street. Mike was in charge of street games, though he did dabble in running. I was pretty fast and knew the neighborhood well, so that's where he used me.

"Street games? Running", Garrus asked, confused.

"Running is slang for transporting things like drugs and money from one place to another. Usually from base to our sellers and then moving the money back. Street games were gang sanctioned scams that some of the people would run on the everyday citizens. Things like Three Card Monty and other stuff like that. Plus, once a week he would hold a weekly poker game for some of the high rollers in the area."

"Sounds like this guy became your mentor", Kaidan commented.

"He did", he replied. "Taught me how to play every game there is, and how to play it well. More importantly, he taught me how to cheat and not get caught. He also taught me how to survive the life we were living. He taught me everything, how to fight, how to disappear, anything I could possible need to know."

He was caught up in his own story, so much so he didn't realize what time it was until Joker's voice came over the intercom.

"We're about 5 hours out from the Citadel, Commander."

He sighed. He couldn't believe he had spent so much time talking when he really needed to get some sleep.

"Alright, you heard the man. Get out of my room so I can a few hours of sleep before we reach the Citadel.", Shepard said, standing up and gathering everyone's glasses.

"What? Come on, you can't just leave in the middle of a story like that", Kaidan protested.

"Come back some other time if you want to hear the end", he responded. "Now out. That's an order, not a request."

Still grumbling, Kaidan stood up and left the room. Wrex and Garrus followed after him, thanking him for the drinks as they left. Finally, Shepard was alone. Standing in his cabin and staring out the window at the blue blur that went by, their ship moving too fast to actually see any of the things that went by.

Walking over to the table where Kaidan had set down his deck of cards, he ruffled through it until he found the one he was looking for. The 9 of diamonds. Not a particularly significant card by normal standards, however this one was different. Dotting the face side of the cards was splotches of red, faded over time.

"Sorry things had to end the way they did", he said to himself. "But I know if our roles were reversed you would have done the exact same thing as me."

-Line Break-

Liara knew she should be asleep. Goddess knows she had had a difficult day, mentally, physically, and emotionally draining. Yet here she was, set up in the room behind the medbay, laying on the cot Shepard had ordered be brought in, and staring up at the ceiling. The only sounds she could make out was the gentle creaking of the ship.

The reason for her current insomnia could be described in one word. No, it wasn't the news that her mother was now a galactically wanted criminal, though that did plague her mind. It wasn't the brush with death she had experienced just hours before or even the new team she found herself on. A team she knew didn't trust her.

No, the reason for her sleeplessness was the man who had saved her. The man who had allowed her to join his crew. The commander of the ship she was currently laying in. Commander John Shepard. Humanities first Spectre.

She did not know what is was about him that had captured her attention, almost from the very moment she first laid eyes on him. When she was hanging, helpless and alone, caught in a Prothean trap just waiting to die, or worse, be dragged off to Saren.

Maybe it was his eyes. They were a rare electric blue, unlike any she had ever seen before. There was such intensity in those eyes, such passion that she had, at first glance, found them intimidating. But now, she found them captivating. They were like a black hole, drawing her in, and she wasn't sure if she even wanted to fight the pull.

Liara had never been in love. In fact, she had never felt anything that could even closely resemble love except for her mother. She wasn't even sure she knew what it would feel like… falling in love with someone. As a child she had asked her mother to explain it to her but had never received an answer. The question always made Benezia sad. She was most likely thinking about her father, another topic she had never received and answer to.

She definitely would not call these feeling towards the human love, but they were a new sensation, one she had no experience with in her short, long if compared to most other species, life. All she knew was that this human captivated her, in a way that went beyond the normal, scientific curiosity she normally would have felt towards someone who had experienced working, Prothean technology.

And then there was the memory she had experienced. She had felt everything he'd felt. The love and protectiveness towards the young girl next to him, the fondness towards the woman on the porch, the complex twister of emotions he had for the man in the memory. And finally, the terror he had felt, looking up into the sky at the coming ships.

Liara did not know what she had gotten herself into, but she was going to see it through. Her gut was telling her it was important to remain here, fighting with this new team and getting to know the diverse beings she would be calling her teammates. With any luck, this journey would lead her to the answers she had spent the majority of her life seeking. And she might even find something she had never known to look for.

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the long wait. All I can say is life got in the way again. As you can guess, this is a filler chapter. I'm hoping to get back to the missions and action soon. So, I leave this up to you, I can use the next chapter to go over things on the Citadel, that means more character building and building relationships. Or, I can skip over it and just do a summary, maybe come back to it in the future as a flashback. Like I said, I leave it up to you.**

 **You can message me or leave your decision in a review. Also, if you do was me to do the Citadel chapter, let me know if I should do a lemon with Sha'ira, just imply it, or not have them hook up at all.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the romance I am trying to build. I don't have much experience with it and have always found it hard to build one. Some feedback on how I am doing so far would be good. I know there is not much yet, but things should start picking up more in the chapters to come. Also, I will be posting two polls on my profile. One will be whether there should be a harem or not. The other will be to vote on who will be in it. If you don't want a harem, you can still go to the second poll and cast your vote for who the main romance option will be.**

 **As usual, Follow, Favorite, and (most importantly) review. The more interest you show in this story, the more motivated I am to write and update faster.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Mass Effect nor any of its characters. All rights go to Bioware.**

 _ **Warning: Strong language and mature content**_

 **Chapter 9: Back on the Citadel**

 _Hello everyone, this is Vera T'Rani, and after twenty long years, I have returned. When I first started out as a small individual documentary maker over 400 years ago, I devoted myself to one goal. To look through the lies and exaggerations to bring forward the truth of my subjects. Now, it seems only fitting that my last, and most challenging piece would focus on the most controversial figure of all time._

 _While people tend to focus on the many, many achievements of Commander Shepard, as they should, it has led to a hero, almost god-like worship for the man. The short lived religion, what authorities have dubbed "The Cult of Shepard", is a prime example of this concept. For further information, please see Steven Vander's work "The Cult of Shepard; Why was it so Popular"._

 _The goal of this entire documentary series is to push back against the extreme views that underly all other works about the great man named John Shepard. Because, as has been stressed by those closest to him, that's what he was. Not a hero like many make him out to be, nor a demon like others seem determined to make him._

 _Please, I implore you to join me on this voyage as I dig deeper into the man that forever changed the galaxy, John Shepard. With interviews from those who were actually there, like Dr. Liara T'Soni…Admiral Steven Hackett…and many more. This is "The Normandy Saga"._

 _Excerpt from documentary film series, "The Normandy Saga" by Vera T'Rani._

For once Shepard was excited to be back on the Citadel. It was the first time in years he would be doing so with no job planned. Sure, there was a meeting he needed to get to but that promised to be more pleasure than work. It involved a certain blue skinned Consort and a favor she owed him.

He was awoken from his sleep by Joker's voice coming over the intercom announcing their arrival, shortly followed by a quick jolt signaling their docking. Groaning, head pounding, he flipped the sheets off of himself. The sound of a glass impacting the floor echoed through the otherwise silent room. It was soon followed by another moan as the still tired and obviously hung over swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. His vision blurred and he fought to keep from vomiting.

That was the start of a long and tortuous process that included standing, fighting vomit, locating his boxers, he had no idea when he had taken them off, fighting vomit again, and finally dressing himself and stumbling towards the door.

Five minutes later saw him standing in the airlock, waiting for it to open. The automated voice of the Normandy echoing around him with the usual,

 _Stand by, shore party."_

According to Joker, all of the crewmembers scheduled for shore-leave had already left. Apparently, they had been lining up at the exit before the moment the Normandy had passed through the relay. Not that he could blame them. They were only scheduled to be here for one day and these were people that had a lot of energy to burn off. Being stationed aboard a ship, particularly one on such a dangerous mission, tended to agitate people.

Thankfully, the pills he had taken in his room were starting to kick in, alleviating much of his headache. It was either that or the couple shots of tequila he had used to take the pill were kicking in. Speaking from personal experience, he had found more alcohol was usually the best cure for a hangover. However, the second the airlock slid open he could feel his headache return in full-force.

" _Commander Shepard is off the ship, XO Pressly has the helm."_

A man stood at the end of the walkway, dressed in a typical Alliance uniform with a hat that screamed he was in a somewhat high up position. The man was older, looking to be approaching 40, if he hadn't already crossed that bridge. He looked to have a strong body, ashen skin and a shaven face.

Judging by the way he was standing, and the look on his face, Shepard already knew this was not going to be a fun conversation. Approaching the man, who snapped into a solute, he waited to see how he was going to ruin Shepard's day.

"Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, Fifth Fleet", the man said.

Shepard responded with a half-assed solute that was really more of him just tapping his forehead. He really did not have the patience for these kinds of things. It was one of the reasons he had a reputation with the Alliance Brass for being disrespectful.

"Yea, yea. Greetings and all that other shit, what do you want", he asked.

And there was the usual disapproving look that he so often saw. Just as he thought, this guy was one of the officers with a stick up his ass so long you could see the end of it when he yawned.

"I'd watch that attitude if I were you", the man responded. "I command the 63rd Scout Flotilla. You and the Normandy were slated for my unit after shakedown."

'Oh, this should be good', he thought to himself.

"Then the Council got their paws…claws, tentacles. Whatever. They got them on our ship. And you."

'Oh look, he's racist too.'

"Yea well, what do you want me to say. Being humanities first Spectre and hunting down one of the Council's former agents sounded like way too much fun to pass up", he responded, his signature smirk back on his face.

"Huh, hope you still remember what color your blood is, Shepard.", the man replied. Ok, he was really starting to get on his nerves now. "I don't begrudge the politicians' decision to throw you to the Council. It's an…opportunity. However, I do have a problem with this overdesigned piece of tin, though."

Well, that smirk was gone from his face now. His expression had now taken on a blend of irritation and anger.

"Keep talking shit about my ship and I'll shove an _actual_ overdesigned piece of tin right up your ass. It can go right next to that pole you've already got in there." Shepard said threateningly.

"I'll call it whatever I damn well please", Mikhailovich said, angrily. "This thing would be useless in a stand-up fight. Worse yet, it diverted billions from our appropriations bills. For the same price we could have had a heavy cruiser. But no, we had to make nice with the Turians. Throw money at a co-developed whatever you want to call it. I'm here to make an inspection, commander. Normandy is an Alliance warship and I intend to see she's up to snuff."

"Yea…good luck with that", he responded with a sarcastic laugh. "My Normandy may be an Alliance warship, but she's on loan to the Citadel. That means she's not in your chain of command."

"I believe there's something wrong with my ears. Did you just contradict me?", he asked, disbelievingly. It was easy to tell this was not a man accustomed to people talking back to him and this conversation was giving him fits.

"You bet your ass I did." Shepard replied. "This ship is Council property right now. So, with whatever amount of respect you want to imagine I have for you, get the fuck away from my ship."

"Very well, commander. But you can expect me to file this in a report", Mikhailovich said, clearly still fuming with anger. As he walked away, Shepard could hear him mumbling to himself. "First, they make the most disrespectful little shit humanities' first Spectre, then he fills his team with a bunch of goddamn aliens. The Alliance is going to shit."

Shepard spent the next minute trying to get control of his emotions and going through every possible way he could spin this as justifiable homicide. After determining there was no way that was happening he took a deep breath and proceeded towards the elevator. As usual, it took an annoyingly long time for said elevator to reach its destination, the lobby of C-Sec. It buzzed with the typical excitement, officers moving to and fro, some in a hurry others moving lazily from one place to another.

As the elevator came to a stop and Shepard stepped out into the room, he was greeted by another headache. The woman was obviously of middle eastern descent. Pretty, with that short hair that so many woman had taken to having since humanity had left Earth. If he had to guess, he would say she was a news reporter, a guess that was soon confirmed by her first sentence.

"Commander Shepard", she called out as she moved to intercept him. "Khalisah bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Would you be willing to answer a few questions for our viewers? I promise it won't take up too much of your time."

"Depends what you're going to ask", he responded. While it definitely wasn't a yes, nor was it a no, the woman in front of him chose to take it as a yes and dive right into things. Behind her, he could see the camera hovering over her shoulder light up, signaling it was recording.

"You've been given a unique position to represent our race", she began. "People want to get a sense of how you'll do that. Humans have been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for 26 years. With that in mind, what are your feelings on being named the first human Spectre?"

"Some may say it's overdue", Shepard responded. "But whenever you are looking for the first of anything, that first needs to more than meet the requirements. They have to stand out, otherwise what's the point. I think I'm more than qualified to be an example as to what humanity is capable of going forward."

"Some believe that without firm action on our part, the Council will continue to treat us like 'poor relations'", she said, moving on to her next question. "Have you encountered any situations where the Citadel asked you to place its needs before the needs of Earth?"

"Considering I've only been a Spectre for three days at this point, during which time I have been on a single mission, the answer to that question would be no", he replied. "However, I have no doubt that a conflict of interest will come up at some point. "It's only a question of when and where."

"And when that happens, how will you respond?", Khalisah asked.

"That depends on the situation", Shepard said. "I'm not going to guess the answer to a question that hasn't been asked of me yet. All I can say is that, when the time comes, I'll use my own judgement to make my decision."

"Are you saying you would be willing to make a decision that harms humanity", she asked, disbelievingly.

"Depending on the situation…yes."

"I'm sure our listeners will be very interested to hear that", she said before moving on. "You have been given command of an advanced human warship for your mission. Is there anything you would like to say about it?"

"Not really."

Having enough of this conversation, he turned around and started to walk away before a hand on his arm stopped him. It seemed this woman was not quite done with him. Now, normally, Shepard was not someone who allowed people to touch him without his permission. But, he supposed he should make an exception for an eager young woman who was just trying to make a career for herself.

Well…that's what he should have done.

His body was turning before his mind even realized what was happening. He wasn't entirely sure what happened next, all he could remember was seeing red, and then he was standing over the woman. She was holding her hand to her cheek and staring at him with a look of fury in her eyes.

They had managed to draw the attention of the entire room. What had, just moments ago, been a bustling and chaotic mess was now still and silent. Shepard stilled his emotions, not letting anything break through that poker face he was so proud of.

"Y-you asshole", she yelled. "The Alliance is going to hear about this. Hell, the Council's going to be hearing about this."

Still reeling slightly from his lapse of control, he focused on the one thing he could deal with at the moment.

"Look, feel free to file your report", he retorted. "Hell, I'm sure someone'll give you money but there isn't shit going to happen to me. I'm hunting down a rogue freaking Spectre, I have more important things to worry about."

Turning, he stormed off. Not even looking behind him or paying any attention to the stares and whispers that followed him. Memories of the hangover he had woken up with were the furthest thing from his mind as he muttered to himself.

"I need a fucking drink."

-Line Break-

Ashley was very glad Shepard had scheduled a return trip to the Citadel. She had gotten a message on her official Alliance terminal requesting her help with a sensitive matter on the Citadel.

The message had come from Samesh Bhatia, the husband of a close friend from her old unit, the 212. Nirali, Samesh's wife, had joined her unit around a year ago and they had hit it off from day one. She had been Ashley's best friend. And then came the day they were shipped off to Eden Prime. They thought it would be a break, simple security work for a team of scientists on a remote human colony.

Things had been fine for days. Nothing exciting happened. For the most part it was simply a matter of staggering guards at certain times while the others hung out at base camp. Then came the day the Geth had darkened the sky of Eden Prime. She could still remember everyone scrambling for their weapons, racing out to their posts.

She remembered one member of her unit making a recording to send out as an SOS. She had tackled him to the ground, the area behind her exploding. At that point, Nirali had still been next to her. A minute later, that had all changed.

There was six of them, racing to defend the colony when they had rounded a corner and made contact with the enemy for the first time. At first glance she had no idea what they were, looking like extremely developed security mechs. They hadn't lasted one minute before her squad was cut to pieces. She and Nirali had been the last survivors. They had managed to find cover while the Geth had picked off the other members of her squad. They were outnumbered and outgunned.

It happened as they were making their retreat. Ashley had heard a scream of pain and terror from behind her. When she turned, she was cursed with the sight of her best friend, bleeding on the ground with her arm reached out to her. Begging her for help, to save her somehow. Ashley had skidded to a halt and started going back to her when she caught sight of the Geth closing in on them. She hesitated. It wasn't very long, only a second or so, but it made all the difference in the life of her friend. Just before Ashley could reach her, more gunshots ran out and red droplets of blood were flying from her friend's body. She died still staring at her, begging her for help.

Not long after she had met Shepard and his team. And now here she was, meeting her dead best friend's husband for the first time. She could only hope that he was not looking to meet her face-to-face in order to blame her for his wife's death. That was an issue she was already having enough trouble dealing with. She had woken up in a cold sweat more than once filled with the image of Nirali's dead eyes, mouth still moving. Blaming her. Begging her to save her.

She arrived at the scheduled meeting spot, in the lobby of the embassies. Standing a few feet away from her was a brown skinned man with silver hair. He was wearing a golden robe and fiddling nervously with his hands. She assumed this was Samesh.

"Excuse me, are you Samesh Bhatia", she asked, approaching him.

"I am", he replied, a small smile coming across his face. "I assume you are Ashley Williams?"

"Yes", she said. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances. Nirali spoke of you often. Many times, she discussed us taking some time off and going to a restaurant where she could introduce us properly."

"My wife spoke of you as well. Not a message went by that she did not mentioned your name. I'm glad I finally get to meet you", Samesh said with a fond yet sad smile on his face.

"Not to be rude or anything, but why did you ask me here", she asked, curiously. She was dreading what his answer may be, but she figured it would be better to get it out of the way rather than keep putting it off.

I apologize for asking this of you", he said in an apologetic tone that threw her off. She was expecting him to yell at her, not feel bad about asking her for something. "But I need your help, in the name of my wife. The Alliance refuses to release her body to me so I may give her a proper burial like our cultures requires."

"That's bullshit", she exclaimed, startling the man standing across from her. "By Alliance regulations, her body should have been released to you within 48 hours of recovery."

"I am aware of the regulations, which is why I contacted you", Samesh explained. "I have spoken to the officer in charge, a man by the name of Clerk Bosker, many times however he has continued to refuse me. Even worse, he refuses to give me an explanation as to why he won't return my wife to me, so I can give her the burial she deserves."

"Do you have any idea where I can find this Clerk Bosker", Ashley asked, angrily. "There are a few things I would like to _talk_ to him about."

"He spends much of his time in the Embassy bar, up the stairs on the left and at the end of the hallway", he explained. "I hope you will have more luck than I."

Ashley walked away with the hopeful gaze of Samesh Bhatia burned into her mind. She was glad he hadn't blamed her for surviving when his wife died. She wasn't sure she could have handled it. And, if helping get her body back where it belonged could alleviate even a fraction of the guilt she had been feeling, that would be more than enough for her.

Finding the man in question was not hard. He was right where Samesh told her he would be. Standing in the Embassy bar, trying to talk up some Asari diplomat who clearly had no interest in the pale man. Not knowing what he looked like she had, at first, no idea how to determine if he was there, or which person he was. Thankfully, she had come across a helpful bartender who had been more than happy to help out the "teammate of the _great_ Commander Shepard".

Apparently, Shepard had already gathered quite the following in the few days they had spent away from the Citadel. The news of Humanity receiving its first Spectre had spread like wildfire across the Citadel. From what she had heard from the friendly, maybe too friendly, bartender was that a day or so in the news had left the Citadel and was spreading across Council space. He said he wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the galaxy knew about it by the end of the week.

Angrily, she approached the oblivious man and, grabbing his shoulder, spun him to face her. She saw the brief moment of confusion and bewilderment on his face before it vanished and he adopted what she called an "officer face". It was the name she gave to the face Alliance officers often used when they were about to dress down someone.

"Can I help you", he asked, indignantly.

"Yes, you can", she replied. "I'm here about the body of Nirali Bhatia, the one you refuse to release to her husband, Samesh. As an officer in the Alliance I demand that you release her body immediately."

While he at first appeared angry at her hostile tone, his face softened slightly when she brought up Nirali.

"Well miss…"he trailed off, waiting for her name. She obliged him. "Very well, miss Williams. As I told Mr. Bhatia, there is nothing I can do. His wife is currently surviving humanity in a way greater than she ever could when she was alive. And that is all I am authorized to tell you."

"Don't give me that", Ashley stated. "If you're going to keep some poor man's wife's body, you at least owe him an explanation. And whatever that may be, it is not an acceptable one."

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but you can't talk to me like that", he said, anger flaring up to match her own. "I am under no obligation to tell you anything, nor do you have the right to speak to a superior officer like you are. Who are you assigned to, I'll be writing him a very stern report."

Ashley was about to tell him exactly who she was currently serving under when a memory from the previous day made her hesitate.

" _I'm not a strict guy, as long as whatever you do doesn't bring me any attention or extra paperwork from the higher-ups do what you want."_

She had a feeling this would qualify as drawing both attention and extra paperwork to him. She had little doubt he would back her up in public, from what she had seen and heard of him he seemed to have some loyalty to his squad-mates. The problem was any backlash she would receive back on the Normandy. Hell, he had taken Jenkins off the ground-team because of one slip up on a mission. She had little doubt he would be willing to do so to her.

Just as she was faltering, standing there mouth opening and closing like a fish, she was saved by a rather unexpected source.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem here?"

Already recognizing the voice but needing to be sure, Ashley turned to see Kaidan Alenko striding towards them. He had that trademark grin of his that always seemed to be on his face. Even when they were sitting in a Mako driven by a lunatic and running down Geth squadrons on a volcanic planet. He was one of those people that was always happy for no apparent reason.

She remembered meeting people like him before. Hell, there were several people in her class at the economy that were like that. None of them lasted. The majority had dropped out before the end. The few that made it through the Academy had not lasted long. Every few weeks she would see a report listing one of them as a casualty. Not that it was only them, many of the men and women she had known in the Academy had popped up on the casualty report.

She remembered how much those people bothered her. The ones that were always smiling, even in the middle of the legendary "boot camp from hell". Ashley had never been that way. She had way too much she needed to prove. Yet, looking at Kaidan now, she felt no irritation. She never had. And worse, she didn't know why.

"Listen, I don't care how many people Mr. Bhatia asks to come talk to me", Clerk said, agitated. "My position remains the same, Ms. Bhatia's body is much too valuable to be released at this time."

"Ok, chill. I have no idea what's going on", Kaidan said, arms raised in surrender. Turning and addressing Ashley next, he ignored the man in front of them for the time being. "What going on here Ash. I was having a nice drink in the corner with some fellow Alliance soldiers when I heard yelling. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was you."

Still agitated, Ashley gave him a brief review of what was going on. She didn't go into much detail about her connection to the dead woman, only that they had served together on Eden Prime. Once she had finished Kaidan stayed silent, looking thoughtful. Finally he turned to Clerk.

"From everything I have heard, I'm not finding any right you or the Alliance have to keep that body. I would recommend you order its release before I am forced to call our commanding officer and we'll see what he has to say about it."

"Go ahead and call him. I don't know or care who he is, I won't be changing my mind."

Kaidan smirked at the response. This guy had no idea who he was messing with.

"Very well. If you'll please wait here, I need to make a call."

With that Ashley and Kaidan walked away to contact the man they were both secretly terrified of calling.

-Line Break-

 _Earlier that day_

The Consort's office lay on the Presidium, across the lake from the Embassy offices. Shepard had never been in before, it was impossible to get an appointment, but he had walked by it often during his time on the Citadel. Walking through the corridor he came to a very beautiful light skinned Asari dressed in very traditional robes standing by the entrance.

"Hello Commander Shepard", she greeted him kindly. "The Consort has been awaiting your arrival very eagerly. She is most grateful for all you did to resolve the conflict between her and General Septimus. He returned and apologized directly to Sha'ira. Since then they have been better than ever."

"Then I take it she took him back as her client", he asked.

"Of course", the Asari exclaimed. "Mistress Sha'ira is very forgiving, particularly when it come to her friends."

"Yea, I'll bet", Shepard responded, sarcastically. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

The Asari in front of him looked delighted, as if this was the first time anyone had asked about _her_. If he had to guess, he would say she was often overlooked. People who came in were looking for the attention of one of the Consort's attendants. Those that were trained in the arts of pleasure. No one cared about the polite secretary.

"My name is Nelyna", she responded. "Thank you so much for asking. Not many before you have bothered to take an interest in me, they seem to focus on the Acolytes. Completely understandable, of course, but it would be nice if they would at least be courteous enough to ask my name. Particularly the regulars who speak to me often."

"I get that", Shepard agreed. "So, are you just a secretary or are you also one of the Consort's Acolytes?"

"At the moment I am simply a secretary", she admitted. "However, I am currently undergoing training from Mistress Sha'ira to become another one her Acolytes. My specialty is touch. My fingertips can find every tension point in your body and relieve it. The Consort has told me I have quite a lot of potential."

Nelyna was practically glowing with pride. It was clear to Shepard just by talking to her how much she looked up to her boss. And if she was as good as she said, he could see how a skill like that would make her popular and draw the attention of the Consort. Seems no matter where in the universe you went, everyone wanted a good massage.

"Not trying to blow you off or anything but I am only on the Citadel for the day and I have a few other things that I need to take care of so I should really go see the Consort", Shepard said, smiling apologetically.

"Of course", she replied. "Mistress Sha'ira is in her chambers up the stairs and at the end of the hallway. Thank you for taking some time to speak with me. If you should even wish to schedule an appointment, please feel free to contact me. I will let you know if anything opens up."

"Thank you", he responded.

Walking through the main lounge, he observed the multitude of people sitting on the couches on each side. The vast majority of them were Asari, however he was able to pick out a Salarian and, at the top of the steps in front of him, a human. These were the Acolytes, women trained by the Consort in a multitude of arts, with their clients. It was easy to tell the regulars from the first-time clients. Those who were not regular clients had an awkward look, constantly shuffling with that shy expression on their faces. The regulars were much more relaxed, confidant and unashamed of their being here. Of course, those people were very wealthy. It was not cheap to make a single appointment at the Consort's Chamber's, regardless if you were only seeing an Acolyte, let alone being a regular at the place.

As he was passing by the human Acolyte she called out in greeting.

"You're a Commander? My brother's a soldier in the Alliance."

He nodded at her signaling he had heard but did not stop to chat. He was being honest when he told Nelyna he was in a hurry. He had received a message from Councilor Sparatus "requesting" he meet with the Turian while he was on the Citadel. Shepard wasn't sure what this was in regards to, hell it could be any of a number of things, but he doubted it was anything good. The Turian had not exactly been subtle in his dislike of him.

As he reached the end of the hall, the door to the Consort's personal chambers opened. Finally, he was treated to his first view of the Asari. The woman who had half the politicians on the Citadel wrapped around her little blue finger. She had a light blue face with typical Asari dark eyes. Despite her blue coloring, the crests on her head had a purple tint to them. She was certainly attractive, a petite body that still filled out her traditional Asari robe in all the right areas.

The room itself, at first glance appeared like any other office space. There was a near the back wall with a comfortable looking chair behind it. Off to the side was a window that looked out over the Citadel, specifically the Wards down below. However, ruining the office look was the leisure items in the corner. On one side of the room was a comfortable looking couch while on the other was a grand bed. Shepard could guess the purposes of each.

As soon as she saw him her face took on a kind and alluring smile that even managed to throw him of his game. Shepard took great pride in not allowing anything to affect him, but the skill of the Consort was legendary.

"Commander Shepard, thank you for coming to see me today", she greeted with a warm smile. "And thank you again for your help resolving the conflict between myself and General Septimus. That incident could have proven very costly had the situation been allowed to escalate. He has already come to see me, begging my forgiveness, which he has received. Even the Elcor Diplomat has ended his campaign against me."

"It was no trouble", he responded. "He wasn't a bad guy, just let himself get caught up in his own problems. He seems to really love you."

"I know", she admitted, a sad look on her face. "I knew long before he finally worked up the courage to admit it to me. I was hoping he never would."

"I take it you don't feel the same way", Shepard asked.

"I am fond of him", she admitted. "It is difficult to spend as many years together as we have without feeling anything. But he was asking for more than I could give him. He knew it, but still was not satisfied with my answer."

There was moment of pause that the two used to observe the other. They were sizing each other up. The two were completely different, one fighting on the front lines and relying on his skill in battle. The other relied on information and political power, using her connection with the most influential figures in the galaxy to make anyone she wanted bow to her will.

"Not that I'm not enjoying our conversation, but I am on a tight schedule that I need to keep", he said, apologetically.

"Of course, Shepard", she replied. "I have my own appointments that I must keep as well. Now, in the message I sent to you I said I had a gift to give to you."

"You did", he responded. "I'd say it's the main reason I'm here but it's actually the only reason I'm here. It's impossible to get an appointment here otherwise, and expensive. And as far as seeing you, I don't have anywhere near the connections."

"Perhaps that was true in the past", the Asari admitted. "However, may I remind you that you are now a Spectre. And you were kind enough to help me. As such you have not only moved onto the preferred client list, you have moved up the list significantly. Enough so that you could get a personal appointment with me within a week."

"Sounds good", Shepard admitted, "however I'm not sure my schedule is set enough for me to make an appointment a week in advance. But thank you all the same. Now…"

"Of course, the gift", Sha'ira said with a smile. She stepped closer to him, invading the personal space he usually defended fiercely but he let her. "I offer to you a gift of words. An affirmation of who you are and who you may become. I see your skin, tough as the scales on any Turian. A wall between you and everyone else. But it protects you, makes you strong. You never hide your strength, either. It serves you well. Terrifies your foes. Few will dare to stand against you."

Standing there, listening to her he could feel the magnetic pull from the woman in front of him. The way her words washed over him like the river washes over a stone. Threatening to pull him along with it, to carry him away. At the moment he was having a hard time seeing how that was a bad thing. It was clear to him now that he was experiencing it for himself just why this woman was so popular, so powerful.

"Yet that is not all I see", she continued. "I see the sadness behind your eyes, no matter how hard you may try to hide it. It tells a story that makes me want to weep. Pain and loss, you have known more tragedy in your brief existence than most Asari see in their long lifetimes. But it is part of what drives you, part of what makes you strong. That strength is what kept you alive when everyone around you was dying. You have always been a survivor. You continue to survive."

She had to have researched him before he came here. There was no way she could tell all that just by looking at him. Right?

"Finally I see the strength that others see in you as well", she concluded. "It is that strength that people are drawn to, like the team you have assemble in your quest. It is why you lead, and others follow. You will need that leadership in the battles to come. This may be who you are, but it is not who you will become. It only forms the basis for your future greatness. Remember these words when doubt descends, Commander. I have heard what you said to the Council, your warnings of these Reapers. I can not see clearly what may come, but I can see a darkness gathering in the galaxy. What form it may take is beyond my sight, but if you are correct you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to combat these evil forces."

Shepard, the battle tested warrior who had been trained by one of the most powerful women in the galaxy, found himself caught up in the power of the Consort. Whatever you may say about the woman, there was one thing you could not deny. She knew how to captivate you.

"Yet if rely only on your own strength, your quest is doomed to fail. I see those who will stand beside you. The ones you have already found…"

Throughout the galaxy each person felt a shiver and looked around, feeling something they could even begin to describe.

 _A fair skinned Asari, Liara._

 _A shy Quarian, Tali._

 _A battle hardened Krogan, Wrex._

 _A sharpshooting Turian, Garrus._

 _Two humans one male and one female. Kaidan and Ashley._

 _A sarcastic pilot, Joker._

"And the ones you have yet to encounter."

 _A cool-faced female human._

 _A dark-skinned human male._

 _A heavily tattooed and mean looking female human._

 _An old, grizzled human male, one eye glassed over._

 _An energetic male Salarian._

 _A female human, faced covered by the shawl pulled over her head._

 _A calm and unfeeling Asari._

 _A sad looking Drell._

 _A Geth sniper._

 _A Hispanic male human._

"You will draw many to you. People that would willingly and readily die for you and for whom you will willingly die for in return. I know this may seem like an impossibility now but be prepared and keep your heart open. For the family you have always wanted is closer than you think."

Shepard was reeling from what he had just experienced. He felt as though he had just felt something important but could not remember. It seemed the Consort was finished with her speech because she stepped back and seemed to be waiting for something. Whatever he may have imagined her gift would be, this was not it. Yet, despite its apparent lack of value, he still found it precious.

"Is that all", he questioned. That three-word sentence set off a reaction that he never could have predicted. The space that had been created between them not one minute ago suddenly disappeared. Only this time she wasn't speaking to him. Instead she was using her mouth as a stopper for his own. Her lips were incredibly soft, pressing against his in a way that was almost sweet. Never one to be intimidated, no matter the circumstance, he responded by adding a little pressure of his own, hands landing on her supple blue hips.

The kiss was nice, but Shepard had never been one to enjoy 'nice'. Much too intimate for his tastes. Somehow picking up on this, Sha'ira increased the heat. Opening her mother slightly she snaked her tongue out of her own mouth and ran it across Shepard's. Picking up on the signal, he opened his own mouth, so her tongue could enter and entangle with his. As the kiss heated up, Shepard found his right hand sliding from its grip on her hip and made its way around to her backside. In a bold move he placed his hand over her perfectly sculpted rear and gave a small squeeze, eliciting a small squeak of surprise from the blue-skinned woman.

Moving from his mouth, Sha'ira trailed a line of kisses across his face and down his neck before settling at the section where neck met shoulder. The action forced Shepard to tilt his head back, moaning. Eyes closed in utter bliss before returning to his senses.

'Damn, this woman is too good at this', he thought.

Getting back into the action, Shepard used the grip he already had to lift he off her feet. Caught off guard by the action, Sha'ira recovered quickly and wrapped her legs around his body. Half walking, half stumbling he carried the woman across the room until her back bumped into the wall behind her.

Lifting her face back to his, their lips reconnected. This time open and hungry from the first contact. Since Shepard couldn't do it, since he was busy holder her up, so Sha'ira brought both hands down and started fumbling with the latch on his pants. Working them open she yanked both his pants and underwear down in one go while Shepard's hands start their own work. Hiking up the bottom half of her robe until it pooled around her waist.

Normally this was the kind of thing Shepard liked to take his time with. However, when the situation called for it he knew how to make the most of a quickie. With his pants down he could feel Sha'ira grab ahold of his member and move it into position. With one quick move he was sheathed inside of her. Both let out a moan of appreciation.

Moving his grip down to latch onto her thighs, Shepard gave a quick thrust to gauge her reaction. He was able to draw out a quick, sharp cry so he continued with his movements. The Consort's arms moved around his neck and her head moving down to lie on his shoulder, teeth latching on to his skin.

Soon those small, quick thrusts became harder and deeper as the two worked themselves into a rhythm. What started out as Shepard taking control soon transformed into an battle. The Consort's hips, which had at first been still while she adjusted to Shepard's size began to move. Snapping forward to meet each and every one of his thrust, drawing pleased sounds from the man.

Lifting his gaze he was surprised to be met with the sight of their reflections. It appeared that what he thought was the wall was in actuality a window, tilted thankfully, that looked out over the Wards. He could help but think of all the people who lived down there, none of which had the money or connections to be where he was now. Hell, there was a time he had been one of those people, fighting just to survive.

Noticing that she had lost his attention, she placed a hand on his cheek and forcefully turned his gaze back to her. Noticing her annoyed expression, he gave her an apologetic smile and brought his attention back to his task at hand.

Their pace had increased dramatically by this point. The otherwise silent room was filled with the sound of skin slapping together. The breaths left their mouths in pants and the occasional moan would slip from one of their mouths as their coupling quickly turned desperate. Shepard was reaching the end of his rope but refused to be the first to give. He was going to ensure she got just as much pleasure from this experience as he did.

Moving his head down he copied Sha'ira's action from earlier. In yet another unexpected move his bit down on her shoulder, causing a quick spike that mixed both pleasure and pain for the already writhing Asari. With a scream that was muted by his own shoulder she shattered, finally reaching her orgasmic peak. With a relieved sigh he too let go what he had been holding in. He tried to remain silent but the pleasure was just too much. He came with a yell, releasing himself into her.

With his release came a sharp loss of energy. Summoning the last of his strength he staggered over to the bed in the corner of the room and collapse, her on top of him. This time it was her turn to surprise him. Instead of rolling off and sending him on his way she cuddled closer to him. Looking down at her he could see her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her face.

"Damn, I really needed this", he said mostly to himself. However, as close as they were she was able to hear it easily.

"I could tell", she responded. "You carry a remarkable burden on your shoulders. I could tell how tense you were just by looking at you. Perhaps the next time you return to the Citadel I will arrange for Nelyna to have a session with you. She still needs practice before she can become one of my true Acolytes".

"So, you want to use me as a test subject", he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Is that a problem", she responded.

"No, just wanted to be clear. Damn, I know there are things I still need to get done but I'm not sure I am capable of movement at the moment."

He felt rather than heard her laughter, his eyes already beginning to close with the exhaustion catching up with him.

"Than stay a while", she said. "You need your rest, and you are more than welcome to get it here."

"But don't you have another client that you need to meet with", he questioned. The Consort was most likely busier than he was. He had no problem screwing up his own schedule but he was hesitant to do it to hers.

"Do not worry", she responded kindly. "Nelyna knows to reschedule my appointments if I do not check in with her. They will no doubt be disappointed, but they will still be tended to. Whether they decide to come back another day or spend a session with one of my Acolytes, this will not have any kind of serious affect on me. Now sleep, I will still be here when you wake up."

Even though Shepard was not someone who took orders well, this was one command he had absolutely no problem following. His eyes closed and the last thing he felt before his mind was carried off to sleep was the feel of her body against his, and the sound of her breathing as she too fell asleep.

-Line Break-

 _Beep…Beep…Beep_

Shepard groaned in protest, roused by the annoying sound that was stealing him from the best sleep he had in weeks. Still exhausted beyond belief, he began the epic struggle of forcing his eyelids to lift. He spent several seconds waging war against this fierce foe, listening to the world around him in absence of his sight. It was remarkably quiet, making him think at first that he was back on the Normandy. He had never been on a ship that ran as silent as the Normandy. After years of living aboard starships and the most popular cities in the galaxy, silence had been all but eradicated from his life.

Finally winning his war, he forced his eyelids to lift and was met with a world of haze. Blinking fiercely, he attempted to force his vision to clear so he could view his surroundings. While he waited, he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered docking on the Citadel, going to meet the Consort, a blur of blue skin mixed with pleasure. Oh…that was right. He had actually sex with the Asari Consort. And he hadn't even spent any money. Garrus and Wrex were going to love this story.

With the return of his memories came the realization that there was a weight pressing on his chest. Looking down he was met with the blue crest of Sha'ira, resting gently on his stomach with her arms wrapped around his mid-section and her legs entangled with his.

 _Beep…Beep…Beep_

Crap, he forgot about that. She shifted slightly on his chest and letting out a soft whine of protest. Reaching over to retrieve his Omni-tool, something he _did not_ remember taking off, he checked whoever dared fuck up his rest. As he was reading the message he saw the blue skinned woman's eyes flutter open, looking much the same as he did when he woke up. Dazed, slightly confused, and thoroughly unhappy with being woken up.

The message had come from Kaidan Alenko. Apparently, he and Ashley had run into some trouble on the Citadel that they needed his help with. Shepard sighed loudly and ran a hand down his face. He figured they knew enough by now that they wouldn't waste his time with stupid crap. Groaning, he scooted out from under the consort and swung his legs over the side of the bed and set to work pulling on his pants and gathering his other clothes. Once he had finished he returned his attention to the bed, and the blue skinned beauty that was currently stretched out on it.

He couldn't help the small moan that escaped his mouth at the sight before him. The bed sheet was still draped over her otherwise naked body. However, the sheet did not cover everything, curling around and over her body so her legs peaked out and her breasts were just covered. She had this sexy yet teasing smile on her face, beckoning him back to the bed. Not being able to deny her fully, he wasn't sure there was a being in the galaxy that could, he returned to the bed and swooped down to claim her lips. They remained that way for several moments, their tongues emerging from their mouths to battle with each other. Reluctantly, Shepard pulled away. The Consort pouting up at his with swollen lips.

"Sorry, beautiful", he said, an apologetic smile on his lips. "That was a message from one of my team members. Apparently, he ran into some trouble and needs my help sorting things out."

"I understand", she responded. Her voice was made even more alluring by the notes of sleepiness still detectable. "I must return to my clients, anyways. Though I find it surprising that you would help them rather than stay here with for a little longer. From what I have heard about your reputation, I didn't think you cared enough to help out others with personal problems."

"Well, don't believe everything you hear", he laughed. "But yea, that one's true. But this is different. I mean, we're _one_ team going up against a whole _freaking_ _army_. I figure that entitles them to a favor or two provided it's not too much trouble."

"You don't fool me", she said, amused. At his confused look she elaborated, "You are fond of this team you have put together. You may not have known them long, but there is no greater bonding tool than life-threatening situations."

"Keep dreaming", he snorted, moving towards the door. "Well, this was fun. We should do it again sometime."

"Don't play coy", she said, stretching lazily. "You'll be back. They always come back."

The door swished closed behind him. Strolling through the lounge he ignored the stares he was getting, both from the Acolytes and the clients. He nodded kindly to Nelyna on the way by, who bowed slightly and wished him a good day. The embassies were just across the pond, something he doubted was a coincidence, so at least he didn't have to go far.

-Line Break-

They spent about twenty minutes in the Embassy bar, waiting for their commander to arrive. During this time they watched Clerk Bosker hit on three more women and, consequentially, getting shot down by three more women. If she wasn't so pissed at him she would have been laughing at him.

Finally, Shepard arrived. They didn't see him at first. The first thing they noticed was the conversations in the bar dying down and everyone looking at the entrance. And there he was, strolling into the bar like he owned the place. That was one thing she had noticed about Shepard in the brief time she had known him. He radiated confidence, no matter the situation.

"So, you wanna tell me what was so important you had to drag me away from my very important meeting", he demanded, walking up to them. At first, she shrank back, he could be scary when he wanted to. Then Kaidan shattered the illusion by his next statement.

"Uh, commander", he asked. "you said you were coming from a meeting, right?" He nodded. "Cause I'm pretty sure there's a bruise on your neck that…"

Shepard moved fast. Slapping a hand over his mouth and giving him a searing glare, he quickly silenced his subordinate.

"I fail to see how this relates to me having to take time out of my schedule to come down here and help you", he sounded really aggravated now, so Ashley thought it was a good time to step in.

"You see that man over there flirting with the waitress", she asked, pointing to the man who was currently going 0 for 4. Shepard nodded, releasing Kaidan and focusing on her. "His name is Clerk Bosker, and he's refusing to release a body to her husband, so she can be buried. Her name was Nirali Bhatia and she served in my unit on Eden Prime. Her husband asked me to speak with him and retrieve her body so he could give her the burial she deserves but that man won't give her up. In fact, he won't even tell me why he is keeping her."

Shepard didn't say anything or change his expression at all, just stood there and waited for her to finish. When she was done he nodded in understanding.

"So, your thinking I'll be able to get some answers out of him and get him to release her body for you", he asked.

"That… and he threatened to file a report to the Alliance", Kaidan admitted, to which he received a smack to the head from Ashley. He threw her a glare, which she returned before their attentions were taken. They were both smacked upset the head, and turned their glares before realizing it was Shepard.

"What did I tell you on the Normandy", he said. "You can do whatever you want, just don't make it a pain in _my_ ass. You two stay here, I'll sort this thing out and then the both of you are gonna get your asses back to the Normandy and stay there until we leave tomorrow. Deal."

Kaidan looked ready to protest before Ashley cut him off and agreed to his terms. If it would get her friend back where she belonged, she was willing to pay just about any price. If Kaidan got dragged along with her, well… sucks for him.

They both followed behind Shepard as he approached the man. The waitress was just storming off in a huff, though it did not look as though it had affected him much. He noticed Shepard just before he reached him, turning to address the Spectre, a shine in his eye that was not there before.

"Wow, you're Commander Shepard, aren't you", he gushed. "I've looked up to you ever since you saved Elysium from those Batarian Slavers." It was then that he must have noticed the two of them standing behind him because his whole attitude changed. "Wait a minute, you're their commander?"

"Yea", he responded. "And I hear from them that you're refusing to release her old squad mate's body like you are supposed to. Mind explaining why you've decided to go against Alliance regulations."

"Well…", he seemed reluctant to answer, but hero worship is a powerful thing. Something that she had noticed ever since joining Shepard's team. He had always looked annoyed when it happened, but maybe this time it could help them out. "The truth is we are examining her body. The bullet wounds on her body don't match anything we have ever seen before, making us suspect the Geth use an advanced form of weapon. If we could study her body, we may be able to save countless human lives."

He had to admit, what the man said made sense, as much as Ashley didn't want to admit it. Even worse, it seemed as if Shepard was actually considering it. She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted her friend to be laid to rest. She had already paid the ultimate sacrifice for humanity, why should she keep having to sacrifice. Sure, Ashley knew if it was anyone she didn't know, she would be arguing for this project. But, again, selfish.

"Look", Shepard responded. "I get why something like this could prove beneficial in the long run. But I'm sure she's not the only body you have in the program."

"Of course not, but it would set a bad precedent", he admitted. "And we can't release every sample we have or we remain in the dark as to what we are dealing with."

"I realize that", Shepard replied. "But to be honest, I don't give a damn about the other families. I'm here as a favor to my teammate. You release her body, I walk away. You don't, I will personally ruin your career."

She was always taken aback by his attitude. At times he could come off as caring and genuinely nice. Other times he could come off as the biggest S.O.B. on in the galaxy. Just when she thought she was starting to figure him out, he spun her around and dumped her on her head.

"Uhm… I-I don't think I can", the man stuttered. He seemed just as shocked as she was. They say never meet your heroes. Ashley was fairly certain that rule was made just to describe Shepard.

"Do you, or do you not have the authority to release her", he asked.

"I do", the man replied, still stammering slightly. "But…I don't think I…", he was stopped by the look on Shepard's face. It was the stern look he had used just minutes ago against them. It had proven effective in killing any argument that had been making its way out. The man sighed, admitting defeat in Ashley were to guess. "Alright. I release her body. Please, tell Mr. Bhatia that I wasn't trying to be a bad guy. I was just doing my job."

"I know that", she said. "And I think he knows that too. He just wanted his wife to be laid to rest."

"I know", Clerk responded. "But tell him he must remain quiet about this whole thing. Don't tell him about the project and tell him not to mention us holding his wife's body or that it was released. Like I said, we don't want the other families to make a big deal out of this."

She nodded her head in acknowledgement.

'Well, Ni… I did it. I brought you home', she thought.

She looked over and gave Shepard a grateful look. He, in turn, nodded his head in acknowledgement before walking off. She then turned to thank Kaidan, finding him standing next to her with that ever-present smile on his face.

"Thank you for your help", she said, gratefully. "I don't think I would have had the courage to ask the commander for help."

"Don't worry about it", he replied. "I'm sure you would have done the same for me. And, if you wouldn't, remember this because at some point I'll be expecting the same."

She found herself laughing. Actually laughing. It was then that she was struck with a shocking fact. This was the first time she had really laughed since Eden Prime. She had forgotten how good this felt. Maybe, just maybe, she was ready to start putting that terrible day behind her and move forward. As Kaidan leaned in and gave her a quick hug, she felt her face start to heat up. The heat faded just as quickly as it appeared, leaving her feeling confused and some other emotion she couldn't identify at the moment. Well, she had better go give the good news to Samesh. Then she and Kaidan had to start their time-out aboard the Normandy. Which was about to get even worse, because both her and Kaidan's Omni-tool's beeped in a message sent to the team.

"Oh man", Kaidan exclaimed. "Drinks at Flux are on Shepard tonight and we have to spend it on the Normandy. He's so doing this just to get back at us. And what's with this part at the end?"

" _P.S. Kaidan… if you raid my liquor cabinet you will not step foot off the Normandy for anything other than missions until Saren is caught."_

Ashley laughed again. She had to give it up to the man. This was pretty clever.

 **Author's Note**

 **Well, hope everyone enjoyed the update. Strangely, out of every chapter I've written so far, this might be the one I'm most proud of. As usual, let me know what you guys think. Follow, Favorite, and Comment. I finally got a good amount of comments on my last chapter, let's keep that trend going.**

 **Just a notice, in a couple chapters I will be starting a poll to get you guys more involved. Or, you can just let me know in the comments section or private message me. I'm leaving the choice up to my readers. Who comes out of the mission on Virmire alive, Ashley or Kaidan. If I get enough votes I** _ **may**_ **consider keeping them both alive. But, I'm warning you, I won't be announcing the results. You won't know until the chapter comes along, I want to keep all of you on your toes. So start thinking.**

 **Hope to see everyone next time. As always, thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Mass Effect, nor any of the characters.**

 _ **Warning: Strong Language**_

 **Chapter 10: Settling Old Scores**

 _The Batarian Raider's assault on the colony of Elysium in the year 2176 was a major victory for humanity, a species just barely out of their home system. Caught unawares, the colony was still able to repel the largest raid by the Terminus Systems in recorded history. Despite the colonies forces being outnumbered 7 to 1, they were able to mount a sturdy defense thanks to the leadership of a small group of N7's vacationing there before their active duty started._

 _Excerpt from "Withstanding the Blitz", by Alexander Barren._

-Line Break-

Liara T'Soni had been wondering why the crew had gone pale when Shepard informed them they would be taking a trip in the Mako. It had only taken her five minutes inside said vehicle to understand their trepidations. It seemed the good Commander who had, just two days ago, saved her life was not a fan of going slow. Nor compensating for the terrain. He zoomed over the landscape, not caring for the bumps or jolts. Nor the complaints and screams of the other inhabitants of the vehicles.

It had been just 12 hours ago that they had been spending time together in a club on the Citadel known as Flux. It seemed as though the Commander knew a couple of the waitresses that worked there, a pair of sisters named Jenna and Rita. Liara had actually been enjoying herself. She had never been an avid party goer, even when she was still in her early years at Illium University.

Unfortunately, their enjoyment was not to last. The commander had gotten a call on his Omni-tool some time during the night. From what she could gather it came from a man named Admiral Hackett, a very powerful and influential force, high up the Alliance chain of command. From what the Commander had told them, he appeared to be an ally to them, one of the few in the galaxy that believes him and his theory involving the Reapers. Apparently, there was an urgent mission he needed the commander to address.

Liara was still torn on her own belief regarding these Reapers. From the brief time she had spent inside his mind, she could feel his belief in their existence. However, just because _he_ believed they existed did not mean it was true. She had to admit though, it was quite the original theory. And it fit into all the evidence she had collected on the Protheans and even those who came before them. It would explain the rapid fall of the Prothean Empire, at least in terms of galaxy-wide extinction rate. It would also serve to explain the remarkable lack of evidence the Protheans left behind them. This was something she would need to spend many hours on, pouring over her research and all the research she could get her hands on. She needed to see just how many dots these Reapers could connect.

As for the man himself. Liara could admit to herself that she felt drawn to him. It was only natural considering what they had gone through together during the brief 2 days since he had rescued her on Therum. The first, of course, entitled him rescuing her from a very uncertain future. She did not believe her mother would allow this Saren to kill her. But, then again, she had also never believed that her mother would be connected to something like this in the first place. Apparently, even Asari were susceptible to change over half a century.

That connection had only grown when he had allowed her into his mind. There was a certain level of intimacy that came with Asari melding, even if many of her species acted like there wasn't. Then there was the memory she had accidentally been pulled into. The day the Batarians attacked the human colony of Mindoir. She could feel the importance of that memory to him in that moment. It was vital to him, even more so than a simple traumatic experience would be. She doubted he would have any kind of shortage of traumatic experiences or memories. No, this was more than that. But exactly what, she did not know.

And now, here she was. The victim of poor, or perhaps she should call it reckless, driving on a small, uninhabited planet by the name of Agebinium to recover a secret alliance probe they had sent into Turian space during what the humans call the First Contact War. Apparently, these probes also contained a nuclear payload. Thankfully, they were on an uninhabited planet where the bomb would not do any damage to civilians. Unfortunately, the discovery of these probes could prove problematic to Human-Turian relations. And so, Anderson had contacted Shepard and asked him to do the Captain a small favor.

And that brought her back to the present. The Mako screeched to a halt, the seatbelt across her chest driving the air from her lungs as she was flung forward. She could hear similar reactions from the passengers behind her.

"All right everyone, we're here", Shepard declared cheerfully. The doors quickly opened and the vehicles occupants engaged in a frantic scramble, nearly trampling each other in their dash to exit the vehicle and feel solid land underneath them.

"Oh, thank you God", Kaidan exclaimed. "Land…solid land."

"I will never understand how anyone can be that bad of a driver", Garrus said, shakily.

"Next time, I drive", Ashley stated.

"Oh relax you big babies", Shepard scoffed. "You're all overreacting."

"The sad thing is, we're really not", Tali joked.

"Everybody's a fucking critic", he replied, annoyed. "Now, if everyone is done bitching, can we please go down this old mine shaft a recover that probe before it blows up and this turns into an intergalactic incident."

"Wow Commander, you're not usually so passionate about Alliance missions", Kaidan remarked. "At least, not since I've known you."

Shepard exhaled before responding.

"If you must know, Hackett promised me a reward for the completion of this mission. To be honest I don't think this probe is a big deal at all, both sides did some shady shit during the First Contact War. But, he made it worth my while so if we could please finish this up, drinks back on the Normandy are on me and everyone is invited."

Well, that at least got Wrex going. While they had been docked on the Citadel, Liara had seen him purchasing several bottles of Ryncol and an assortment of other products with a high alcohol content. Later, after he had received the orders from Hackett, she had noticed the Krogan sneaking his supply onto the Normandy. During the journey she had seen Shepard searching for the Krogan's hiding place but had been unsuccessful, much to Wrex's amusement. Still, she imagined it was better to get drunk on someone else's supply rather than your own.

Looking around, she noticed the other members of the team struggling to recover from their ordeal. Apparently, Shepard had enough as he turned from bribery to threats.

"Alright, let me put this another way", he began. "The last one to get their asses into that mine gets to clean the restrooms."

And that got the rest of the team going. Liara had to admit, the thought of having to clean the bathrooms for the entire ship was a daunting task. And not one she was in any sort of a hurry to earn for herself. Within the minute everyone had made it to the mine shaft, her bringing up the rear. She may have been a gifted biotic, but she was up against a squad of fully trained and, more importantly, well-conditioned soldiers. And she was a scientist. The outcome was inevitable.

Before the entrance to the mine closed she could feel Shepard enter behind her.

"Well Dr. T'Soni, looks like you have something to look forwards to once this mission is finished", Shepard teased. Liara groaned.

'Goddess'

-Line Break-

There was something nibbling at the back of his mind. The kind of dull sensation you get when there's something you should be noticing but you weren't. It was the same feeling he had gotten back when he was dating and his girlfriend had changed something and was waiting for him to notice it. The same feeling when you looked at a picture, failing to notice the most important detail because you were too focused on all the other details.

"Hey Commander, I found the Probe", he heard Kaidan yell from one of the passageways in the mine. Quickly tracking his voice, he found himself going even further underground. The rest of his team not far behind, converging on Alenko's location from where they had been searching. Sure enough there it was. A piece of human tech, about ten feet long, lying in the deepest section of the mine.

"Hard to believe this little piece of metal could start an intergalactic incident", he commented, mostly to himself. But judging by the reactions of his teammates, he could tell that they had overheard.

"How the hell did that little probe make it all the way down here?" Garrus asked. "I doubt the miners would have found it and carried it all the way down here. And even if they had, I doubt they would have left it here when they abandoned the place."

And just like that, like a bolt of lightning shooting through his brain, all the pieces fit together. Or rather, didn't fit together. What Garrus said made sense, there was no way for this probe to have made it all the way down here. He hadn't been in school long on Mindoir, but he had learned some math skills. And one thing he had learned when dealing with an equation. If you know the final outcome but the variables don't add up, it means you're missing one. He mulled it over in his head for a few seconds, tuning out the questioning voices of his team. He had always had a very particular way of mulling things over. Questions…problems…they were nothing more than puzzle pieces. Something he could spin on a 3-D plane in his mind until it all clicked, creating the solution or answer he was looking for. And just like that, the pieces clicked. Creating an answer he really did not want to see.

"Son of a bitch", he said, drawing the attention of the others. "It's a fucking trap."

"Trap", Tali asked, worriedly. "What do you mean a trap?"

Not even a second had gone by when an explosion rocked the cavern, sending Shepard and his team stumbling as they struggled to regain their footing. Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex were successful, the others not as much. Then again, Shepard was used to keeping his footing on uneven ground. Or, at least, it seemed shaky to him. Accompanying the explosion was the sounds of rocks falling, a sure sound the explosion had triggered a cave-in. If he had to guess, that was probably the intent of the explosion.

Ashley and Kaiden went up the tunnel to investigate, coming back moments later to confirm what he already knew.

"No good, skipper. It's blocked", Ashley said.

"I figured", he responded.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the lights that had been illuminating the cave flickered for a moment before going out. Plunging the team into a thick, suffocating blackness. From out of the darkness Shepard's disfigured voice broke the silence.

"To answer your previous question", he said, "that is what I meant by trap, Tali."

"Your ability to point out the obvious is astounding, Commander", came the Quarian's dry reply.

"I'm not sure I have quite grasped the concept of joking around when one's life is in danger", Liara's voice came from somewhere to his left. She had been doing a decent enough job settling in with the team, but she was still new. Most of the crew still gave her distrustful looks when she passed by. The ground team seemed to be undecided regarding the Asari. They didn't go speak to her, nor did they avoid her. Only time would tell if things would change, for better or worse.

The only team member who seemed openly hostile was Ashley. So far it had not gone beyond a few bitchy comments and some hostile glances, but the signs were there. And everyone was picking up on it. He, himself, was having a hard time determining Ashley's reasoning. It may have something to do with a few instances of harmless flirting between Liara and Kaidan Alenko, if you could truly call it flirting. The lieutenant just had a friendly personality and sometimes that led to him getting a little flirty. Kaidan had been noticeably starstruck by Ashley since the minute they found her on Eden Prime. Her feelings were a little harder to guess, so maybe he was jumping the gun on the whole jealousy theory.

'Oh well, a problem for another time.'

He was finally able to find the light function on his Omni-Tool and light up the darkness. Shortly after the rest of his activated theirs and the room was more or less lit up. Now that he could see he set to work examining his surroundings and searching for a way out. Dying, trapped in a cave, was not the way he saw himself going out. Too anti-climactic for the life he lead.

"Uh, Shepard", he heard Garrus yell. "The bomb…or probe…whatever it is has a countdown going."

'Huh, explosion. That's more what I figured.'

Quickly making his way over to his Turian companion he took notice of the orange letters that were counting down. Less than five minutes remaining. Strange, considering he was sure they weren't there before.

Off to his left a projector came to life, displaying the image of a man looking at them in what could only be described as pure glee.

"Commander Shepard", he said. "It is such a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Elanos Haliat."

"Good for you", he replied. "I'm guessing you already know who I am. So, let's move past that and get to the part where you tell me what you want."

"So straight forward", the man said with a sneer. "I suppose I should expect nothing less from the Underworld Reaper."

The various members of Shepard's team glanced at each other uncertainly. During their time with this man they had heard several monikers he had been given, but no one seemed to recognize this one. It definitely had an effect on Shepard. His eyes darkened and his expression lost the usual bored expression he usual wore.

'Ok jackass, you have my attention.'

"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time", Shepard said, eyes narrowed. "Though I'm not sure why you're saying it to me. The guy's a rumor, a horror story going around the Terminus systems."

"That's right, he is", the man responded. "Oddly enough there are rumors going around that you spent much of your teen years in the Terminus systems. Strange huh. But forgive me, I seem to have gone off track. I'm sure you have noticed the little gift I left for you."

It's odd how one can get distracted. Even when the thing you forget about is a ticking time bomb ready to kill you. Glancing down, he saw the red timer had dropped to 3 minutes remaining. Turning to Tali, the tech expert of the group, he gestured for her to get to work while he kept this guy busy.

"I wouldn't recommend trying to disarm the bomb", Haliat gloated. "The only way to get it to stop is to input the correct cod, the likelihood of which is incredible small."

"Yea, yea asshole. Why don't you just tell us why you're doing this", Ashley demanded.

"It's simple really", he replied. "Years ago I was the leader of a major raiding group operating out of the Terminus Systems. The followed me because I was the strongest and because I knew how to lead. That is, until I put together the largest raiding group ever assembled to attack a human colony."

"The Skyllian Blitz", Kaidan whispered. "That was your idea."

"It was", he responded. "And it would have been a resounding success if it wasn't for a small group of N7's freshly out of the academy that somehow managed to mount a defense until Alliance forces could arrive and drive us back. I lost the respect of the Terminus Systems after that. More than that I lost my leadership. They drove me out. It's taken years but I've nearly completed my revenge. The only one left…is you. And soon, not even that."

With that the hologram flickered out of existence, leaving Shepard and the team waiting on Tali. Shepard, meanwhile, was left with what the man had said. He had almost completed his revenge. Did that mean…

He was interrupted by Tali's yell of triumph and the disappearance of timer.

"Got it Shepard", she said, happily.

-Line Skip-

Shepard sighed happily as he collapsed into one of the chairs in the meeting room on board the Normandy. As it turned out, dealing with Haliat and the rather pathetic amount of mercs he had hired had taken a matter of minutes, once they had escaped the cave. Actually finding a way out of that miners shaft had taken significantly longer. But, now it was over and he could finally cross another name off the list of people who wanted him dead.

"So, that guy was responsible for the Skyllian Blitz", Kaidan said. "Glad he finally got what was coming to him. Although, I bet you're a lot happier about it than I am, huh commander."

"I'm not sure about that", he responded. "Though it's always a good thing to scratch one person off the list of people that want you dead."

"Did you send your report to Hackett yet skipper", Ashley asked.

"Yeah, I sent it", Shepard responded. "I'm sure he's busy spreading the news to the higher ups at the moment. Fine by me, saves me the headache."

"Commander, may I ask you a question", Liara asked, somewhat timidly. Receiving an encouraging nod from the man she smiled gratefully and continued. "I have heard of the Skyllian Blitz but was not aware that you played a part in it. I'm sure there is a story there of some kind."

"Yea Shep, let's hear what went down there", Garrus jumped in.

Shepard looked around the room at all the faces looking at him expectantly. He wasn't a big fan of sharing, especially when it involved his past. Still, he liked this group. Sure he had only been with them for a few days but he did. And while he wasn't ready to share some of his darker stories, there wasn't anything wrong with telling them about Elysium.

"Alright fine. But I'm not doing it on a parched throat. Someone go down and get some of the good whiskey I stashed in the hold. Then, it's story time bitches."

-Line Break-

John Shepard breathed in the slightly smoky city air of Elysium. It was his third day of a week on this colony, celebrating him getting his N7. Of course, he wasn't alone. Bringing his eyes back to the table he was currently seated at, he eyed the small group of soldiers he had graduated with. There were 6 of them, including himself.

Jake, the talented, if somewhat annoying soldier who was prolific in every weapon ever invented. The man had sandy blond hair that he always slicked over, never a hair out of place. His attitude and looks throughout N7 training had earned him the nickname "pretty boy" from his fellow trainees. Shepard, himself, simply called him annoying. The man was a social butterfly. Flourishing, no matter circumstance, though mostly around members of the opposite sex. He had appointed himself Shepard's official best friend, despite the lack of concurrence by him.

Then there were the two brothers, Steven and Alex Riley. The two were very similar in appearance. Short black hairy that neither really did anything with. They were both tall. Steven, the older brother standing at 6 foot 3 while Alex stood at 6 foot 1. Yet, as similar as the two were in appearance, they were just as different in personality. Steven was much more outgoing, usually wearing his emotions on his sleeve. The man was a brawler, usually the first one into a fight and the last one out. His brother, the exact opposite. He was much more subdued, keeping his emotions close to the vest. While his brother preferred a straight up fight, Alex preferred to hit hard and fast out of nowhere. Winning a fight before his opponent even knew it had begun. Steven was a biotic, though limited in his potential, while Alex was a master technician and hacker.

Then there was the one female graduate. Equality had come a long way since humanity left the Milky Way Galaxy, especially after meeting the Asari. The military was much more diverse than at any point before but the N7 program was still a little behind the curve. Her name was Taylor O'Brian. A brown haired woman with an average build, though toned from her years of military training. She was a hybrid coming through training, a skilled infiltrator and a deadly sniper. No doubt the Alliance was planning to use her for covert, high risk missions.

The last member of the group was Dylan Connor, the quietest person Shepard had ever met. He was short, slight, with mousy brown hair. While Alex could be seen as quiet, compared to Dylan the man was a social butterfly. Most days that went by you could count the number of words he spoke using two hands. He had the exact quiet personality that the Alliance looked for when they were looking for a sniper. You won't hear him coming, and he's always going to hit his mark. While he had technically earned his N7, the man had black-ops written all over him.

They were currently all gathered around a table just outside a café, talking and watching the crowds of people as they went by. Well, mostly it was Jake, Steven, and Taylor, with the occasional input from Shepard and Alex. It had been another night they had spent out, enjoying the night life Elysium had to offer. Come weeks end they would each get their assignments and have to go their separate ways, so they were determined to enjoy the week.

The next minute would forever be etched into his memory. The minute where the hustle and bustle of everyday life would be interrupted by the deafening screech of the city-wide alert system. All six N7's looked at each other in alarm. They knew what those alarms meant. Incoming invaders.

They each scrambled out of their seats, pushing their way through the crowds back to their hotel rooms. While they had all kept a standard pistol on their person, the rest of their gear, the things they would need to fight off an actual invasion, they had left back at the hotel. Even among the other N7's, Shepard was the most gifted, reaching the hotel first. Taking the stairs three at a time, fighting past the people scrambling downstairs, he reached his floor in seconds. Even pausing to find his room key was too long, opting instead for a biotically powered punch that shattered the door. Now inside, he set himself to finding his gear and getting dressed. Thankfully, they had trained in these kinds of fast dressing situations.

He was about halfway through gearing up when the other N7's began to trickle in. First Steven, followed moments later by Alex and Jake. Bringing up the rear were Taylor and Dylan, not too far behind.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do", Shepard declared. "Jake, you, me and Steven are going to find the front lines and join the defense forces. Taylor, Alex, you guys are gonna drop back and direct the civilians. Find a defensible position, reinforce it and get as many civilians behind it as possible. Dylan, your gonna go with them and, once you establish a base, get somewhere high and start shooting."

There was no backtalk. No one questioned why he was the one giving orders, they just stayed silent and gave nods of assent as they continued to strap on their gear. A result of the pecking order that had been developed over the months they had trained together. Shepard had proven himself to each one of them, that he was the best leader. Some had accepted it rather quickly, like Dylan. Others had struggled for a while. It had taken several fist-fights for him to get Steven to fall in line. They had just finished getting ready when a great explosion rocked the earth. Glancing out the nearby window he could see a plume of smoke rising into the air.

"Ok, guess that's our destination", Shepard said. "Everyone else, get going."

Racing down the steps, the group of six separated. Shepard took his team one way, headed towards the smoke and following the sounds of heavy fighting. Meanwhile Alex took the other team and headed in the opposite direction. Following the stream of refugees, already shouting out over the noise and directing the panicked civilians.

-Line Break-

It took Shepard and his crew several minutes to reach the source of the explosion. They were carrying over 20 pounds of gear, plus Elysium was a large colony so it was not a simple matter of running a couple of blocks. From the looks of things, as they got closer to the edge of the colony, the number of people they came across decreased. It was a good sign. Apparently, people were smart enough to head for the center of the colony.

Rounding a corner, they suddenly found themselves right in the thick of things. In the street before them, clear battle lines had been drawn. Close to them the colonies defense forces had set up a base of abandoned cars. About 50 yards down the street, there was a stream of invading forces moving slowly from car to car. The only thing that appeared to have slowed them down was self-interest. These people had no loyalty to the mission, nor any of their comrades. They wanted to survive and get paid, which made them somewhat timid in these situations.

Racing towards the cars that the defense forces were using as cover they slid in, Steven and Jake popping out to deliver some devastating damage to the advancing forces, giving Shepard time to talk to the Captain next to him.

"You the one in charge here", he had to yell to get his voice to carry over the sounds of gunfire.

"You could say that", the man yelled back. "At least, I'm the highest-ranking person here. The name's Dan. I got the order to come here and start beating back this group. Who the hell are you people."

Shepard looked around at the meager squad of 8 men that accompanied Dan. Two were lying dead on the ground so he assumed the Captain had been sent out here with a squad of 8 soldiers.

"The name's Shepard", he said. "The other two are Jake and Steven. We're recently promoted N7's here on vacation, not that that's working out well so far. Why were there only ten of you. I have to imagine there were more assigned to the colony defense on duty at the time."

"Of course, there are", Dan replied. "But this isn't the only place these fuckers are coming from. Over the radio, I've heard of at least another 5 entry points in the city and they're just pouring through the things."

That was problematic. The group they were going against across the street wasn't a big problem. It was a straight up fight. But if the other points got overrun and they flanked them, they were fucked.

"Where is the nearest fight", he yelled.

"About ten blocks that way", Dan replied, pointing down a street to the left. Shepard gave himself a few seconds to think things through. This group seemed to be doing well at repulsing the invading forces, but the numbers were getting greater, not thinning out. He heard a brief cry of pain before the sound of a body hitting the ground to his right. And, of course, there was the problem that they were losing people as well. Still…

"Steve, Jake. I can hold down the fort here", Shepard yelled to his teammates. "There's another fight going on about 10 blocks that way. If they get overrun, we're screwed. Go help them out."

Steve ducked out of cover to gun down another invader before nodding in confirmation. Jake gave Shepard an uncertain look but didn't argue. Popping out of cover, Shepard used his assault rifle to lay down covering fire. Using this distraction, the two men sprinted across the street, heading to their new destination.

Once they had reached a nearby alley, he ducked back down, just in time avoid the return fire coming from down the street. Accompanying their bullets came another sound of pain, followed by another body hitting the ground near him. They had lost another soldier. It was probably not a good sign that he felt no sorrow over the death of another human being. Only annoyance over having lost another soldier. Not for the first time he started to wonder what that said about him as a person. Was he a psychopath?

'Woah, not the time to go down that road', he thought to himself. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Another bad sign that he found his mind wandering during a life or death situation. Rising again, he took aim across the street and gunned down two incoming raiders in as many seconds. Thankfully it appeared most could not afford shields, nor decent armor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another of his fellow soldiers go down. He sighed again.

He was already regretting sending his fellow N7's away.

 **Authors Note:**

 **Sorry for the long wait. Summer was crazy busy and I just have not had the time to write as much as I would like to. Short chapter here but I figured it was time I get something to you guys. As always, Follow, Favorite, and most importantly, Comment. It's how I know whether you like what I'm writing and it does actually make me update faster, present chapter notwithstanding.**

 **On another note, let me know what you want me to do in terms of romance. Is there an interest in a harem for this story or would you prefer that I stick with one for this story. Let me know what you are thinking.**

 **On one last note I have gone back and updated the first nine chapters. No changes to the storyline however I did add a little something to start each chapter and cleaned up a lot of the grammar. Go give it a look.**

 **Until next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Mass Effect**

 **Warning: Strong Language and Adult Content**

 **Chapter 11: The Skyllian Blitz**

 _For as great a tragedy as the Skyllian Blitz was, there was one silver lining to come out of the event. The attack, and defense of the colony, gave humanity the first great spark in what would eventually become a beacon of hope for the human race. A Shepard to guide humanity from the shadows in the years to come._

 _The Skyllian Blitz marked the first in a long line of service related medals John Shepard would receive over the course of his life in the Alliance. His ability to take charge of the defending forces, as well as his fearsome skill on the battlefield, earned him the prestigious Star of Terra. One of the highest honors bestowed upon Alliance officers. Shepard's teammates, however, would receive their own accommodations, though these achievements were marred by…_

" _Life and Legend; Commander John Shepard", By Rania T'Vera. 2197._

-Line Break-

One would think spending the day fighting for your life would make time slow down. Make every minute seem like an hour. In reality, it's the opposite. The time seems to fly by. Thus, six-hours had passed in the blink of an eye. The momentum swung like the tip of a pendulum. The raiders would advance, forcing the Alliance forces to fall back, one block at a time. Then the momentum would shift. They would get reinforcements or manage to pick enough raiders off on the retreat to push forwards again.

He had been hearing rumors passed on to him every time he added a few more members to his fighting force that his fellow N7's were doing their jobs. Steve and Jake had done a good job handling the fight a few blocks over. So well in fact that they had managed to set up a wall of cars to use as a barrier. There was still a small squad over their but at this point it was target practice. They had moved on when they had gotten an SOS call from another part of the city being overrun.

Alex and Taylor had set up a defensible circle in the middle of the colony. Children, mothers, and those too old to fight were bring crammed into small shelters in the middle of the fort. Meanwhile anyone old enough that wasn't taking care of a kid was taking up weapons to either defend the fort or come out and reinforce the defense forces.

That had been the real turning point that had allowed them to hold out for as long as they had. The people of the colony were fighters. They knew what they were getting in to when they signed up to colonize new worlds for the Alliance. Nearly all of them had some kind of firearm they kept in case of emergencies and had some kind of experience with it. From what he had gathered from a few he had spoken to briefly, the colony ever offered firearms training to anyone interested.

Meanwhile, with everything that was going down inside the colony, the air above them wasn't any less chaotic. The Alliance ships that had been posted to protect the colony had been in the midst of an all-out aerial battle. Even if they were only holding back a fraction of the raiding parties, it gave them that much more of a chance of making it through this.

But, as previously mentioned, this battle was like a pendulum. And, unfortunately, the momentum was about to swing once again. And this time it would not be in their favor. The stream of raiders increased once again. This time by a much more significant amount than any point before. If Shepard has to guess, he was say a couple ships made it through their aerial defenses. It was time for another retreat.

Raising his voice just loud enough so his squad could hear him, he gave yet another command to fall back. He had a squad of twenty-one people by this time. By the looks of things, only six or seven were part of the defense force. The others were civilians who were, surprisingly, doing a pretty good job staying alive. The movement was simple, the majority of the squad would fall back a block while Shepard and a few of the soldiers stayed behind to lay down covering fire. Then, those that had already fallen back would lay down fire of their own to give the rest of them time to catch up. This process repeated itself again and again until they had either taken out enough enemy forces that Shepard felt confident calling for a change in strategy, or they made it to the center of the colony. If that were to happen they would either need to stand strong with some additional firepower coming from behind the fort or find a way to the other side where they could pick them off much easier. Thus far, it had not had to come to that. However, looking at the continuous stream of enemy forces pouring down the street, he guessed that time was coming.

"Hey, get on the fucking comm and get us some damn backup. We might even need on of the other N7's back here", he yelled to the soldier next to him. "Tell them to meet us at the fort in the center of the colony. We got a massive wave that's going to push us right back to them."

He saw a nod of confirmation before he was putting up his _Biotic Barrier_ and rising out of cover to gun down another pair of Batarians that were getting much too close. A minute passed, and he heard the shrill sound of a whistle that signaled the first group was in position and it was time for them to fall back. He waited a second to collect his breathing before he gave a loud yell and they were off. This wasn't time for a jog or half-assed sprint. This was the time to haul ass and find a gear within yourself that you didn't think existed.

Again and again this process repeated itself. Both sides were sustaining casualties. The invading forces were slowly getting whittled down, though not enough to turn the tides. Meanwhile Shepard's squad had been cut in half. Of the twenty-one people he had, only 9 remained. The good news was they were within the striking range of the fort.

Looking upon it for the first time, he had to be impressed. They had taken various vehicles and broken scraps of metal they had found and fashioned a true fortress. They would be safe behind those walls to turn the tides of this battle. Twice more they retreated. At this point it was Shepard and one other person he didn't know the name of laying down covering fire for the other seven to fall back. The only good news was, seeing their fellow raiders get gunned down in front of them had slowed down the ones still remaining.

Finally, they could go no further. They were pinned back against the walls and knew they had to wait for a way to get back there. That way came minutes later. The fire coming from above them intensified, causing the advancing raiders to stop and dive for cover. At that time a series of ropes descended. The answer was obvious. If they wanted to be safe, they would have to climb for it. Three at a time he dismissed his squad up the ropes while he and whoever else was left continued their work on the ground. Some made it, others didn't. Gunned down while they were making their way up the ropes. Finally, it was just Shepard. Above him, he could hear Jake above him yelling for him. Where the hell he came from, he had no idea. His biotics were back. He had enough to produce a barrier that should be more than enough to get him up the ropes to safety. From there he could rest for a minute before he would have to rejoin the fight in another area. He still had no idea what was going on with the rest of the squad.

However, just as he was about to activate his _barrier_ and make a run for it, he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye. And not the movement he had become familiar with. Turning, he saw a mother and her young child making a dash from a deserted building across the street to the fort. She must have stayed put or been on the outer edges of the colony when they had been gathering people to the center. Likely too scared to risk moving until she heard the gunfire getting too close. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties to early thirties while the child looked to be around 4 or 5. Shepard knew how slim the odds were that they would make it and he was right.

They were about twenty yards away when it happened. A hail of bullets came flying in their direction. At least three shots tore into the woman's back. She gave out half a strangled cry before she fell, dragging her child, whose hand was still clutched in hers, down to the ground. She was likely dead by the time she hit the ground. Probably wasn't a bad idea that she had taken her kid down with her. He might have gotten hurt otherwise.

And suddenly Shepard was left with a choice. He could turn around, climb up those ropes, and add that kid to the number of people he had watched die. Or, he could do the heroic, honorable thing that he usually tried to stay away from, and risk his life to rescue the kid. And suddenly, all those survival instincts that he had had engraved into his over the years were muted. He was on his feet and sprinting for the kid, Jake's voice echoing behind him. It didn't take long for his brain to catch up to his decision. And when it did, there was only one thing it was thinking.

'I'm a fucking moron'.

He could feel the shots whizzing through the air around him. Most were missing, though there were some that made contact. He could feel them binging off the _barrier_ he had created. It was perhaps the longest 5 second sprint of his life, but he managed to reach the now crying child, sliding into the space next to him. One quick look confirmed the mortality of the mother's injuries, though he wasn't sure the child quite understood that. He kept shaking his mother's shoulders, whose glossy eyes stared at nothing. But he had no time to explain it to the child, nor did he have time to comfort the grieving child after he did so.

His _barrier_ had taken significant damage from the mad dash he had made. It would take about a minute before his biotics had recovered enough to create another and there was no way he would survive the return trip without it. While he was thinking, he failed to notice the advancing raiders until one jumped on to a nearby car and trained its gun at him. Before he could pull the trigger, another shot rang out followed by the head of his would be killer exploding, followed by the body crumpling to the ground. Eyes following the shot, Shepard saw Jake and a small squad of soldiers had leapt from the wall and were working to beat back the enemy forces enough to give him a chance. Noticing the attention had shifted, Shepard checked his shields before grabbing the cowering toddler and making his move.

Even with the distraction, his shields did not last him back to the wall. He felt two shots penetrate his armor, on to the right shoulder and another to the same thigh. He felt the burn of his wounds but did his best to put it to the back of his mind, fighting through until he was back at the wall. Calling on his biotics, he used a modified version of a simple _lift_ in order to throw the child over the fifteen-foot wall, where a fellow soldier caught it at the top before disappearing behind it.

"Shepard", he heard Jake call to him. Throwing the child had been a big effort and he had crumpled right afterwards. The lack of rest, not to mention the two injuries he had sustained had drained a lot of his strength. He felt his fellow N7 fragging his back behind a car. Not that it would matter. They needed to get inside the fort, but there was no way he would be able to make it up the wall. His shoulder was numbing and all the strength in his right leg was gone.

"We're not going to make it if we stay down here", he yelled back. "Get your squad back over it. I might be able to hang on long enough if you give me some support."

"No way Shep", the man responded. "Your hurt, which means I'm in charge now. We're going to attach one of the ropes to you so the people on the other side can pull you over."

He tried to argue, but the blood loss was making it very difficult. He had run out of Medi-gel hours ago, so had nothing to patch up the wounds. The world was growing darker when he felt the ropes being tied around his torso. The next minute he was being hauled into the air, and pained gasp coming with it. Finally, he reached the top and pushed himself over. There was a ladder waiting on the other side for him to climb down before he was being dragged to a medic. He was safely behind the walls, but it was only a matter of time before he would need to lead another advance.

-Line Break-

 _(Normandy)_

"And that's what it was like being on the ground during the Skyllian Blitz", he concluded. He wasn't sure how long he had been talking, but he had gone through multiple refills if that was any indication. The following minute was faced with silence. No doubt they were unsure how to proceed after what they had heard. He wondered who it was that would break the silence. The answer turned out to be a certain Quarian.

"What happened after that commander?" She asked.

"The Alliance reinforcements finally arrived about an hour later", he responded. "They quickly turned the tide in the air. After that the raiders on the ground figured out they'd better split, quick. A lot got away, some didn't. I spent the next couple weeks recovering."

"What about the other N7's", Garrus asked. "What ended up happening to them."

Shepard was quiet for a moment. He had not seen the fates of his fellow N7's but he had heard the stories from those who had. There was no doubt they had performed admirably and saved thousands of lives with their actions, Jake had even saved his own. But, the thing about being selfless, it usually catches up with you.

"Well, I wasn't there so I can't tell you exactly what happened", he finally said. "But, out of the other five graduates I was there with, only one person was left besides me."

Again, silence reigned as they took the news in. As skilled as the n7's were, and they had Shepard's word that they _were_ skilled, four of them had died that day. Ashley was familiar with the incident and had done some digging after being assigned to Shepard crew, so she knew they had died. But the records were classified as to who died or how many.

"How'd they die", she finally asked. Voice slightly shaky for reasons unknown to her.

"Jake died seconds after saving me and getting me over the wall", he replied. Apparently he was almost over when a raider got a good shot in. Right to the head, never stood a chance. As for Taylor, Alex, and Steve. They led a support group to try to retake the ground we had lost. Did a good job of it too until they ran head-first into an ambush. Taylor got shot but was still alive so Alex ran in to go rescue her. Wasn't careful enough, he ended up dying next to her. I think that's what he might have wanted. After he died Steven went nuts. Ran head first into the fight, ended up pushing them all the way back and out of the city before they Alliance reinforcements landed. He actually made it, though I don't think he wanted to."

"Why's that", Liara could not help but ask.

"Personal shit", he replied. "Lost his brother and the girl he'd been in love with at the same time. After that, not sure he cared whether he lived or not."

"Wait, I thought you said Taylor was with his brother", Kaiden asked. "Steve liked her too?"

"Yea", Shepard said. "What can I say? When you get a group of people spending a ton of time together over an extended period, shit gets messy. Especially when there's only one girl."

There was another awkward moment of silence. During which, Shepard was more than content to simply sit back and nurse his drink. Finally, Wrex was the one to break the silence.

"What about that quite kid", he asked. "The sniper?"

"Dylan? He managed to do a lot of damage from the sniper post he had set up. Eventually he got overrun. A raider group figured out his position and sent a squad to take him out. He was cornered, no way out. Managed to do a lot of damage before they finally took him out."

It had taken the Alliance two days to find Dylan's body. He had found himself a good, concealed post to do some damage. All three N7's that had died in the colony had been honored in the monument that had been built a year later, honoring all those who had fought and died to defend the colony.

That battle had also marked the first award he would see as a member of the Alliance. It had put him on the radar of the Alliance brass, something he had yet to get off of. Steven had been awarded the same honor, though he had gone on to have much less success. A string of disciplinary action had eventually ended his military career. Shepard had tried to keep an ear to the ground on him. He had heard that the man had become a mercenary with the Blue Suns. Though, judging by what Haliat had said, he would guess not anymore. He had likely already taken out his last remaining teammate from training.

"Well, if that's all for now, I think it's time for us to end this little meeting", Shepard declared. "You can take the rest of the day off. Get some rest, I'm expecting some news to come in tonight or tomorrow giving us our next mission. So, until then, enjoy your time off."

The room cleared out fairly quickly. Wrex was mumbling something about getting drunk in the hold. Liara was speaking to Tali about continuing her research in her quarters, while Ashley and Kaiden walked out together as well. The two marines had had a little too much to drink, judging by the way they were walking.

Having nothing better to do, Shepard decided to fill out his mission report for Anderson and Udina. He figured it was better to do it now, before Udina called and bitched at him for skipping his paperwork again. He had just about finished when he heard the door to his room open with a hiss. Expecting it to be Chakwas coming to yell at him for drinking on the job again, he turned towards the door with a retort already forming on his lips. However, it died before he could let it out due to the sight of the shy Asari standing in his doorway. She looked uncertain, so he nodded his acceptance at her entry, reassuring her enough to step in to the room enough for the door to shut behind her.

"Yes, Liara. How may I help you", he asked?

"I have been looking over the evidence you have collected regarding these 'Reapers'", she said. "However, there are some things I wanted to discuss with you. Seeing as you are the only person other than Saren to experience the Beacon first-hand."

"Sure", he responded. "I wanted to talk to you too. Seeing as you're the expert on past civilizations, specifically Protheans, there were some things I wanted to talk to you about. Why don't you go first?"

"Very well. Why were you so quick to accept the existence of something normally considered unbelievable? With nothing more than a threat and the memory of a Geth that was interpreted by a Quarian that you barely knew. Yet, you have staked so much on the belief of it. Why?"

Shepard paused to consider that. Because she was right, there still was no proof that these sentient machines existed. Or that Saren was going to bring them back to wipe out all life in the galaxy. Yet, whenever he considered the possibility, he was wrong, his mind simply rebelled at the thought. He knew they existed. Forget logic, forget evidence. He believed they were real because he couldn't not believe it.

"I think it's because of the Beacon", Shepard finally replied. "I may not be able to understand it, but on some level, I think it changed something in me. It imprinted this belief in me. So much so, that my mind rebels at the very belief that they might _not_ be real. I think it might be the Prothean's way of ensuring their message would be heard and accepted. A backup in case things went wrong."

"I suppose it is possible", Liara conceded. "It would be like you witnessing an incredible event that no one else did, then having everyone tell you afterwards that it did not happen."

"Exactly", Shepard agreed. "I don't know if it was their attempt to ensure the message is accepted should they fall, and another civilization rise or what. All I know is what I feel. And unless we find some way to translate whatever message I received, we are always going to stumbling around in the dark. What concerns me is the way Saren is acting. If he got the same information I did, why does he seem to have such a better understanding of it?"

"He must have found some way to translate the message", Liara concluded. "Though I have no idea how he could have. The only way to translate a Prothean message is with a Prothean mind. Or, at least, someone that already had experience with a Prothean mind."

"Like the Reapers", Shepard commented. "If they really were the ones who wiped out the Protheans, they _could_ have experience with a Prothean mind. All Saren would need at that point is to use one of the Asari's your mother has at her disposal as an intermediary. From the Reaper's mind to the Asari, then from the Asari to Saren."

"It is a good theory", Liara admitted. "Or, perhaps the Reapers were created with the knowledge of a Prothean mind. They were likely created by the Prothean's themselves. Just like the Geth were created by the Quarians, only they weren't able to escape like the Quarian's were."

"I'm not so sure about that", Shepard said, uncertainly. "At first, that's what I figured as well. The Reapers were a creation of the Protheans and eventually grew beyond their ability to control."

"So, what changed", Liara asked.

"What you said", he admitted. "About the galaxy being built on a cycle of mass extinctions. One civilization rises up before being wiped out. A pattern suggests common elements. Before knowledge of the Reapers, there was no connection between the Protheans and those who came before. But now…"

"We have a connection", Liara finished in awe. "If I understand what you are saying commander, the Protheans might not have been the first civilization the Reapers destroyed. This could be a remarkable breakthrough in our understanding of the past."

In spite of himself, Shepard couldn't help smiling a little. Really smiling. Not that smirk he always wore as a method of disguising his emotions. He just couldn't help it. She always seemed so dignified, if a little shy, in every other aspect of her life. But when she got talking about the Protheans or other past civilizations she lit up like a freaking Christmas tree. It was hypnotizing.

He vaguely recognized her saying goodbye and standing up to leave before his arm shot forwards. Fingers wrapping gently around her wrist to keep her in place. It couldn't have been enough to physically trap her in place, yet she stayed. He had no idea what it was, but ever since she had been in his head, he hadn't been able to get her out of it.

"Was there something else you needed from me, Commander?", She asked.

"Well, it's still early", he replied with a smile. "You could always stick around and keep me company."

"I suppose I could", she responded with a smile of her own. "However, there is also a new theory that I am looking forward to writing about."

Oh, he wanted her to stay. Despite her academic, good-girl attitude that she seemed to project, there was something mischievous in those eyes that intrigued him. He could probably get her to stay too. He had caught her several times stealing looks at him when she thought no one would notice. She was just as intrigued as he was. Still, if she was to stay, he wasn't sure he had the energy to take advantage of the situation.

So it was, with a regretful sigh, that he came to his decision. One he was sure he would kick himself for later.

"Unfortunately", he began, "as much as I wish I could ask you to stay, I'm still pretty beat from our last mission. Looks like you'll be getting some time to work on your new theory after all. However, I would love it if we could continue our discussion another time."

"Of course commander", Liara replied, a light blush coloring her cheeks purple. "I look forward to it. "

Not two minutes after she had left his room, the door hissing shut behind her, the commander was passed out on his bed. Even changing out of his clothes was too much effort, simply opting for striping himself of his shirt and pants, leaving him only in his boxers before passing out underneath the covers.

-Line Break-

He was still blinking the sleep out of his eyes when he walked through the door to the comm room several hours later. Joker has woken him minutes ago, letting him know that Anderson and Udina were contacting them. After a short stream of impressive cursing, Shepard had replied that he would be up in a moment.

"Alright Joker, I'm here", he announced. "Patch them through."

Seconds later the blue holographic forms of the human ambassador and long time military serviceman. Anderson looked friendly enough, but he oddly he always seemed to like Shepard. Strange, because he had never been given a reason to. Udina was also being his classic self. Stoic, unfriendly, whatever adjectives that can be used to describe your least favorite person.

"Shepard", Udina greeted, coldly. "We have some information for you. We have recently received word that one of our colonies, Feros, has gone dark in the Theseus system of the Attican Beta cluster. It may be Saren and his Geth."

"Or it may simply be some idiot knocking out their own communications and they're currently trying to restore it", Shepard commented, dryly. "Do you have any evidence that the Geth are involved?"

"Just before the colony went dark, they reported seeing strange ships in the sky", Anderson responded. "Even if it isn't the Geth, it could still be worth checking out."

"Alright, fine", Shepard said. "I'll take the Normandy over to investigate. I just hope your information is good."

 **Author's Note**

 **Sorry for the long wait between chapters but college and real life continues to frustrate. Anyways, same deal as always. Continue to follow, favorite, and most importantly, comment. I want to hear from all you readers out there. Until next time, here's hoping that is not too far away, Thanks for reading. Have a great holiday season everyone.**


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